I Wanna Do Bad Things With You
by Tania-Terror
Summary: True Blood AU but no True Blood characters. Mickey learns that the boy he and his brothers saved isn't really a boy. He's not even human. He's a vampire! Title taken from the True Blood theme Bad Things by Jace Everett.
1. Coming Out Of The Coffin (Closet)

**Chapter 1: Prologue - Coming Out of the Closet (Coffin)**

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><p><strong>Notes:<strong> I like vampires as much, if not more so, than anything Shameless related. So, I decided to combine my love of vampires (specifically True Blood because I loooove that show), and my love of some of my favorite Shameless characters. As it says in the summary, there will be _no_ characters from TB in this fic so you don't have to be familiar with the show to understand this story. At most, I'll mention a few, like Nan Flanagan and Steve Newlin since they're public figures in the show but that's all. This fic will also not follow the True Blood storyline or the books it's based on, it just takes place within the TB universe. I'll also probably be drawing inspiration from other vampire pop culture things.  
>If you have any questions or need me to explain something, please don't hesitate to ask. Alright, let's begin. :)<p>

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><p>Coming out was a lot easier than Mickey thought it'd be.<p>

He was in a bar with a room full of people, his family mostly. They were celebrating his father's parole from prison. Mickey eyed Terry, his father, from across the room. He leaned back against a wall near the pool table, watching his father with such disdain. Terry sat at a small circular table with a few of his brothers, a hooker in his lap, beer in hand, and cigarette dangling from his lips. Anger boiled inside Mickey just looking at that abusive piece of shit. He wished time and time again to posses enough strength to kill the bastard. But he knew he'd never beat Terry in a fight. There was only one other thing Mickey could think of that would drive that proverbial stake through his father's heart, but Mickey _really_ didn't want to do that. Though, the longer he watched his father, the more he could feel the words bubbling up his esophagus. And before his mind could catch up with his body, Mickey was calling attention to everybody in the room.

All eyes were on him.

"I just want everybody here to know, I'm fucking gay!" Mickey shouted. "Big ol' mo. Just thought everybody should know that."

The bar became deathly silent.

Mickey was waiting for a reaction. And then he got it.

Terry came at him like a charging bull. He flipped the small table over and advanced towards Mickey with closed fists and screaming profanities. Mickey planted his feet firmly and swung as hard as he could when Terry was finally close enough to hit. He then grabbed a beer bottle from somewhere behind him and smashed it over Terry's head. That was all the damage he could do though before Terry had him pinned to the ground and started pounding his face in. The hard contact of Terry's fists to Mickey's face made it feel like his cheeks were burning. Blood was blurring his vision, or maybe his eyelids were already swelling, he couldn't quite tell. Mickey thought the beating would never stop but was thankful when it finally did.

Before he knew it, Mandy was at his side cradling his head. "I can't believe you just did that."

"Me neither," Mickey managed to choke out.

"I didn't think you'd _ever_ come out."

"What?"

Mandy didn't respond. She just gave her brother a knowing smile.

"Douchebag…"

"Assface."

Mickey didn't know how Mandy already knew was gay, but they were the youngest Milkoviches and closest in age. They always knew things about each other without having to say it out loud. He couldn't be bothered with trying to figure how Mandy knew right now, though. He was still wondering what made Terry stop beating the living shit out of him. He tilted his head some, which was pretty painful, and saw Iggy and Colin wrestling with Terry. Even with the two of them gaining up on him, Terry was a formidable foe.

Everyone else in the bar, Mickey's relatives and other patrons, just looked on as the trio kept grappling. Mickey was surprised none of his uncles were helping Terry, but they didn't seem too interested in sticking their necks out for him when he literally just got out of prison a few hours ago. When Mickey turned his face away from the scene he caught sight of Kate, one of the owners of the bar, reaching for her phone to call the police. Mandy must have seen her too because she carefully let go of Mickey and walked behind the counter towards her. She stole Kate's phone out of her hand before she could dial.

"Hey!" Kate protested. "I have to call this in."

"No, you don't," Mandy said simply. "I got this."

Without giving Kate her phone back, Mandy steadily approached her father and brothers, reaching into her purse as she did so. And without any warning, Mandy pulled out a handgun and fired one shot straight into the ceiling, luckily no one was living upstairs. This certainly put a stop to everything.

Iggy and Colin backed away from their father as Mandy took a few more steps forward. She had the gun aimed straight at Terry's head.

"Leave."

"You ain't gonna shoot shit."

Mandy cocked the gun and Terry blanched. He may have spoken too soon.

Iggy seemed pretty convinced as well and softly placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Hey, Mandy, c'mon. He's not worth it."

Mandy ignored her brother and addressed Terry once more. "Leave, and _never_ come back."

This time Terry didn't respond. His face seethed with anger but he did as he was told. Reluctantly, Terry turned on his heel, and was forced out of the bar, and out of town, by his youngest and only daughter.

As the door of the bar swung close, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The room felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted.

Mandy turned around and saw Iggy stepping towards her.

"You were really gonna shoot him, weren't you?" he asked.

Mandy smiled as sly as a fucking fox. She held the gun out to Iggy and popped open the chamber, revealing that it had been empty. "There was just the one bullet in it."

Iggy's mouth hung open and was rendered speechless.

Colin had now joined his two siblings, his eyes wide with amazement. "You are so badass right now."

Mandy chuckled as her eyes scanned the floor where she had left Mickey. He was sitting up now against one of the legs of the pool table.

"Mickey…" Mandy said in a concerned tone, returning to her brother's aid. "You ok?"

"I think I broke half a fuckin' tooth."

Mandy turned to her other brothers, who were standing over their younger siblings. "You guys have a car?"

"Yeah, sure," Iggy replied.

Colin bent down to help his brother up off the floor. "C'mon, man."

"I can still walk," Mickey objected.

It was then that the Milkovich siblings noticed no one was looking at them anymore. The patrons hardly seemed to realize what just happened. Now, their eyes were transfixed on the tv set in the corner of the bar. The Milkovich siblings turned to look at what had everyone so mesmerized.

On the screen was a woman with short, blonde hair. She had an angular jawline and high cheek bones, red lipstick covered her thin lips. The image on the screen was split in half, the blonde woman on one side and another woman, brown skin and dark hair, on the opposite side. The blonde was named Nan Flanagan. She was a… vampire rights activist? And speaking on behalf of the American Vampire League?

_Vampires?_ Mickey thought. _What in the actual fuck?_

Vampires are apparently real. And they're "coming out of the coffin". Mickey scoffed, un-fucking-believable. He looked around the room at the same time everyone broke out into a disembodied murmur. Mickey began chuckling to himself. Revealing his sexuality seemed to be the least important thing in the world at the moment. He was almost thankful to the vampires - almost. He'd be lying to himself if he wasn't at least worried about what it meant that vampires are real. He sighed heavily. He just wanted to go home and go the fuck to sleep, worry about vampires some other night.

As Mickey was being led out of the bar, one of Mickey's uncles made his way towards him. "Gay, huh?"

Mickey supposed it was too much to ask for everyone to forget his admission. They didn't, but they just didn't care. In a world where vampires existed, why the hell would anyone give a shit who you banged? Maybe they wouldn't have cared even _without_ the vampires.

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><p>When Mickey arrived home that night, he noticed Terry's truck wasn't parked in front of their house. <em>Good riddance<em>, Mickey thought. And thank fuck for Mandy, and his brothers.

Mickey sat down on the couch in the living room as Mandy went to the kitchen for a wet towel and a beer for her brother. His brothers stood in silence near Mickey. He could sense they wanted to say something, so Mickey prompted them.

"You two just gonna fuckin' stand there all night?"

Iggy and Colin exchanged a glance and then returned their attention to their brother.

"So you really came out, huh?" Iggy asked.

"What?" Mickey blanched. "You _knew_?"

"You gonna start wearing dresses now?" Colin added.

"The fuck?"

"You know, to go with that sparkly blue shit you painted your nails with that one time."

"I never painted my fuckin' nails!"

"Yes, you did," Mandy replied, returning with the towel and beer, and some bandages as well. "I outta know, it was _my_ nail polish."

Mickey vaguely remembers sitting on Mandy's bed at the age of ten, and clumsily applying an intriguing shade of blue, getting more nail polish on his fingers than his nails, his brothers laughing and teasing him. He decides to deny this. "No… no that's bullshit."

Mandy continued, "And when I found you, you made me do your other hand, so one hand was fucked up but the other was damn near perfect."

"Yeah, I remember that," Colin stated further. "Because then Mom came home and told you to take it off before Terry saw it."

Maybe that's why Mickey didn't remember right away, he didn't _want_ to. He didn't want to remember anything about his mother from back then. That was the year she died.

"Bet she knew too," Iggy said what they all were thinking.

Mickey furrowed his brow as Mandy attended to his wounds. He was silent.

"And I bet she didn't care either."

"Whatever," Mickey dismissed, taking a swig of the beer Mandy brought him.

"Alright, fine. Be that way, asshole. I'm going to bed."

"Yeah, see you two in the morning," Colin said as he and Iggy walked to their rooms.

When their brothers were gone, Mandy spoke again. "So, speaking of assholes, are you a top or a bottom?"

"Oh my fucking god!"

"Ok, I'm gonna go with bottom."

Earlier in the night, Mickey thought the cause of his death would have been Terry. Now, he was certain it would be his siblings. He was absolutely mortified.

But all things considered, coming out wasn't that bad - by Mickey's standards anyway.

* * *

><p>In the following months, the Milkovich siblings carried on better than they ever had.<p>

Colin and Iggy were around more than they'd previously been, and even moved back into their old rooms. When Terry lived there, the older Milkovich brothers usually stayed with various girlfriends. Mickey was now pretty sure that had very little to do with the girls his brothers were dating and more about avoiding Terry. He couldn't blame them. There were many times in his youth he wished he lived some place else too. The only thing that prevented him from finding such a place though, was Mandy. He could never leave his little sister behind no matter how bad things got with Terry.

Mandy was smiling again. She'd barely smiled since their mother died. Hell, barely any of the Milkovich siblings smiled since then. Mandy somehow smiled less though. Growing up around a bunch of criminals in the neighborhood they lived in, it made her seem pretty cold and hard at times. Really, she was just sad and lonely. But now, that smile that reminded Mickey so much of their mother was gracing her lips once again. It made Mickey smile too.

Mickey decided to move into Terry's room because why the fuck not? It had been months, almost an entire year, and not a single call had come of their father. Mandy must have really scared him off, or maybe he was dead. He hoped for the latter. Either way, Mickey finally figured it's not like the asshole was gonna come back. And out of all the bedrooms in the house, his was the smallest. Sure, he had his own bathroom but he'd gladly give that up for a larger bed.

If not for those fucking vampires, everything in the Milkovich house would be picture fucking perfect. As dangerous as it was to be out at night in their neighborhood before, it became even more dangerous. Mickey didn't know of any vampires actually living in the south side but that didn't stop bodies turning up in the morning, drained dry with two small puncture wounds on their necks.

Mickey had yet to meet a vampire though. None of the Milkovich siblings had. Vampires were finally out but so far they kept their presence hidden in the neighborhood. Mickey was glad. He really didn't want anything to disturb the new established lives he and his siblings were living.

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><p><strong>Notes:<strong> Ok, I kind of have a soft spot for the Milkovich siblings lol. 3  
>For those unfamiliar with TB, "coming out of the coffin" is a play on "coming out of the closet" but I think that's pretty obvious.<br>And I am making Mandy the only Milkovich girl, no Molly. Though, I wish they did keep her around longer on the show. :/


	2. When You Came In The Air Went Out

**Chapter 2: When You Came In The Air Went Out**

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><p><strong>Notes:<strong> Chapter title in reference to the song Bad Things. I swear I like that song too much lol.  
>Most of the chapter titles will be inspired by songs. I have a playlist called "For Writing Vampire Things" haha.<p>

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><p>"I don't have a good feeling about this," Mickey admitted to his brothers.<p>

They were in their car, Mickey driving, on their way to make a drug deal - at night. Mickey had been adamant about not doing business at night anymore since the vampires came out. And this was their last big drug deal before going legit. Everything _had_ to go smoothly.

"Tonight's the only time they could meet!" Colin reminded Mickey for the dozenth time from the backseat.

"Who is this guy again?" Iggy asked from beside Mickey.

"Guy I knew in juvie and some of his buddies."

"Yeah, we all know what a great judge of character you are," Mickey replied sarcastically. "If this turns out like the time you tried to set us up with one of Terry's old contacts, I swear to _god_, Colin…"

"How was I supposed to know Terry owed him over a grand before he skipped town!"

"Just saying, if this goes south, I'm kicking the shit outta you."

"Jesus, you're so uptight! When's the last time your gay ass got laid?"

"Last night," Iggy interjected.

"How the fuck would you know?" Mickey asked incredulously.

"Ran into the guy leaving when I got home. Must not have been good since you're still so wound up."

"Man, fuck the both of you," Mickey growled at his chuckling brothers.

Mickey was partially mad because Iggy was right, the guy wasn't any good, but he was also mad that his one night stand ran into his brother at all. It didn't matter that his brothers didn't care about his sex life, Mickey still had a tendency to hide it. It was always behind closed doors and Mickey _never_ let anyone spend the night in his bed. Mandy kept nagging him about getting a _real_ boyfriend, whatever the hell that meant. What would Mickey want with a boyfriend? What would they do? Go on dates? Hold hands, picnic, get a dog with a fucking sweater? _Fuck that shit_, Mickey thought. Things were fine as they were.

"Hey, that's it, that's the place," Colin declared, pointing to a mechanic shop that probably sold stolen cars.

Mickey pulled into the driveway and into the garage warily. It was all too dark and too quiet for his liking. "You gotta be shitting me."

"Chill, they're just waiting for us to get out."

"Good thing we came prepared," Iggy noted, tucking a gun from the glove compartment into the waist of his jeans.

"Would you two have a little faith in me."

Just then, the bright lights of the garage turned on and the gate closed behind them, trapping them inside.

"Milkovich!" boomed a voice. "Get outta the car!"

Mickey and Iggy shot their brother a pointed look.

"Ok, maybe I screwed up."

"Fuck!" Mickey swore under his breath.

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><p>Ian didn't know where he was. Last thing he remembered was that he was walking the streets of south side Chicago, making his way to the old house he once lived in with his brothers and sisters. The house was recently put up for sale and Ian jumped at the chance to buy it back. He wanted to move in as soon as possible. Ian didn't think he'd have any trouble walking alone at night because, well, he's a vampire. So, when three or four burly men stepped out of the shadows and surrounded him, seemingly wanting to rob him, Ian thought all he had to do was bare his fangs and the thugs would back off. But they didn't. It seemed they knew exactly what Ian was, and in fact, they were counting on it.<p>

"Cool it, fanger!" one of the men spat when Ian showed his fangs.

Ian was about to get in the guy's face, scare him good, but chains of silver were thrown around his neck by two of the other men. He hissed violently as the metal began burning his skin instantly. He tried to pry it off but the chains just burned his hands instead and Ian dropped to his knees in agony. That's when someone threw a black hood over his head and the men began beating him senseless. And that was it. He must've blacked out because wherever the fuck he was now, he didn't know, and he didn't know how he got there either. It would've helped though if he didn't still have the damn hood over his head too.

But the chains were the worst part, and the men even cuffed him at some point. They stung and burned his flesh, cutting into his neck and wrists. The silver also made him weak, causing his wounds from the beating to remain fresh instead of healing almost as soon as he received them. He tried not to struggle against his restraints as much as possible since that only caused him more pain, and he figured he should save his energy for when he finally got free. Despite being a vampire, Ian didn't like killing humans. But for a group of south side scum that just beat him and kidnapped him to who knows where, he'd maybe make an exception. And Ian was developing a fierce appetite. Feeling this weak and this angry sure made a vampire hungry.

Suddenly, Ian heard a door open and close. Ok, so he's in a room somewhere, that's a start. There was a sound of footsteps coming closer to him. Probably the men from before. Ian didn't realize he'd been lying on the floor until he was dragged up to his feet by one of the men and leaving the room he'd been in. He smelled the scent of oil and gasoline and figured he must be in some sort of chop shop, though he wasn't sure what the point was in bringing him to a place like that. And then Ian could hear shouting.

"I said get outta the car," he head a voice roar. "And empty your fuckin' pockets!"

Ian heard the doors of a car open and close, followed by low, muttering curses.

"C'mon, Darrel. What're you doin', man?" a voice asked. It was Colin.

"Shut the fuck up, Milkovich! You think I don't know it was you who fucked my girl while I was still locked up?"

"That was years ago. I was kinda hoping you did, yeah…"

"Jesus Christ, Colin," Mickey huffed.

"Will, make sure these dipshits don't have anything on them," Darrel ordered. "And TJ, get their keys and open the trunk."

One of the men beside Ian walked off, he must've been the one named "TJ". There was a series of noises that sounded like Darrel's henchmen were carrying out the tasks they'd been ordered. The group that got out of the car being patted down, one of them complaining when they found his gun, more swearing under breaths, a car trunk opening, something being taken out. Drugs, this is a drug deal gone terribly wrong Ian surmised. He still didn't understand how he fit into all this.

"Nick, you don't have to keep watching that piece of shit. We got what we want."

And with that, someone punched Ian in the stomach and shoved him on the ground.

"Who the fuck is that?" Iggy asked.

"You're about to find out," Darrel answered slyly.

_Shit_, Ian thought. He knew now what Darrel had planned. He was going to feed these poor fuckers to Ian. Under normal circumstances, as normal for a vampire anyway, Ian would never kill a human he fed from. But after being beaten like he was, he'd be lying if he thought it'd be easy to resist killing just about anything at the moment. His fight or flight senses were flaring and he wasn't anywhere near the control he was usually so proud of possessing. His stomach growled and mouth watered with hunger, his fangs already fully extended.

"Jesus, what the hell did you guys do to him?" Colin asked when he noticed the blood from Ian's wounds.

"Let's go," Darrel commanded, ignoring Colin.

"Hey, what the fuck? What are you doing?" Mickey questioned as the men left them in the garage, locking the doors behind them.

The three Milkovich brothers tried to pry the doors unsuccessfully. Mickey even tried to pick the locks but it seemed something had been placed against all the doors, making them incapable of budging even the slightest bit.

"Fuck," Mickey cursed for the hundredth time that night. "Hey," he was addressing Ian, "know a way outta here?"

Ian heard Mickey's footsteps approaching him. "Stay the fuck away from me!" he hissed, trying to move away from the footsteps. Ian really didn't want to kill some guys who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Hey, man, it's cool. Just let me see those cuffs." Mickey got on his knees to release Ian of his restraints.

"No wait!" Ian tried to warn, but before he knew it his cuffs were being picked.

Mickey thought he saw Ian's wrists burning, but didn't know what that meant so he thought nothing of it. He finally removed the hood from Ian's head and that's when he realized the danger he just put himself and his brothers in. "Holy fuck!" Mickey exclaimed, falling back on his ass and clambering away from the vampire.

Ian instinctively did the same, though, it was more for Mickey's safety than his own.

"Shit!" Iggy and Colin swore simultaneously, rushing to their brother's side and dragging him away from Ian.

"He's a fucking fanger!" Colin proclaimed.

"Stay away from me! Leave!" Ian shouted.

"We should be saying that to you, _you're_ the vampire!"

"And if you haven't noticed, they locked us in here," Iggy stated further.

"So I could kill you, no doubt," Ian clarified.

"Are you?" Mickey inquired.

"What?" Ian asked, dumbfounded.

"Mickey!" Colin and Iggy snapped. "What the fuck, man," added Iggy.

"Are you going to kill us?" Mickey repeated, ignoring his brothers. "You're hurt, hungry. What gives?"

Ian blinked, nonplussed. "I - I don't want to kill you. You're not the ones who did this to me. Those assholes who stole whatever you had kidnapped me, chained me like an animal and beat the shit outta me… I'd rather get back at _them_."

"Seems we have a common enemy then," Mickey began. "How about we help each other out of this mess and go find the assholes who put us in this shitty situation."

Ian didn't know what to think in that moment. Humans didn't usually strike up a bargain upon meeting a vampire, nor were any of them so calm. Well, he knew Mickey wasn't calm exactly, he could hear his heart beating faster than normal, but it wasn't as fast as Iggy's or Colin's. Ian could tell the other two were far more afraid by how quickly their hearts were racing. And Mickey's face showed no sign of fear either. He was so good at hiding what he felt, he almost had Ian convinced he really wasn't scared. Mickey's placid demeanor put Ian slightly at ease.

"Well?" Mickey pressed.

"Yeah," Ian agreed with a nod.

"Alright then, want me to get those?" Mickey asked, motioning to the chains still around Ian's neck.

Ian only nodded once in response, the chains were burning him pretty badly. Mickey moved towards the vampire.

"Mickey," Iggy whispered cautiously and grabbed his brother by the elbow.

"He won't do anything," Mickey said with such certainty that Iggy furrowed his brow in confusion.

Iggy sighed defeatedly and let his brother go.

Mickey slowly made his way towards Ian, kneeling in front of where he sat, and reaching for the silver chains. As he pulled the first chain off, Ian growled through the pain, his skin sizzling. Then the second chain finally came off. Ian was so relieved to have that damn metal off his skin, he slumped back against a wall almost comfortably, resting his eyes.

"You ok?" Mickey asked.

When Ian looked up at Mickey, he was met with the clearest blue eyes he'd ever seen. He was sure if he had a pulse, it would have stopped. His gaze was unwavering and made Mickey a little self conscious, a pink blush slowly spreading onto his cheeks. Ian seemed to catch this and half-smirked at Mickey.

"Uh, I asked if you're ok?" Mickey repeated.

"Yeah, I'm good," the vampire answered. "I'm Ian by the way. Ian Gallagher."

"Mickey… Milkovich." Mickey's brothers came up behind him. "These are my brothers, Iggy and Colin."

Ian nodded in acknowledgment.

"So, what do you say we get the hell outta here, Gallagher?"

Ian smiled at Mickey's lighthearted tone. "You bet."

"C'mon, get up," Mickey said rising to his feet and offering Ian a hand.

But Ian didn't take it. He couldn't help staring at Mickey's wrist, the blueish-green veins pumping the red life he craved. Ian screwed his eyes shut and snapped his head away. "Shit!"

"What's wrong?"

"I need to feed."

"Not it!" Colin declared.

"Would you shut the fuck up? You got us in enough shit for the night," Iggy scolded.

Mickey huffed at his brothers before returning his attention to Ian. "What do you need?"

Ian dug into his pockets and presented Mickey with a crumpled up piece of paper. "I need you to call this number. Tell the woman who answers to send over two males, O negative."

"Are you going to kill them?" Mickey asked.

"No, it's not like that. They're, uh… prostitutes, in a sense. But they sell their blood instead of their bodies. Well, some do both."

Mickey nodded and dialed the number.

"Why do they have to be guys?" Iggy questioned. "You gay or something?"

"That a problem?" Ian asked vexedly, licking his fangs to remind Iggy he was in fact talking to a vampire.

"No!" Iggy said, holding his hands up in defense. "No problem at all. Mickey's gay."

Mickey's heart skipped a beat, Ian noticed. He shot his brother a pointed look as he waited for an answer on his phone.

"Yeah, he's totally gay," Colin chimed in. "Came out to a whole fucking bar."

Ian smiled in amusement, looking between Mickey and his brothers.

"I swear to _god_ if you two don't shut up right now-"

_"Hello?"_ a female voice from the other end of Mickey's phone cut off. The woman had a thick Russian accent.

"Uh, hello," Mickey greeted awkwardly. "I, uh, need two males, O negative, to be sent to a mechanic shop called 'Darrel's Garage'."

_"What is address?"_

"I don't fucking know…" Mickey could hear a string of Russian curses being muttered at him. He moved the phone away from his ear and tucked it in the crook of his neck. "Gallagher, I don't know what the fuck she's saying."

"Tell her it's Ian, the guys are for me."

Mickey moved his phone back to it's original position. "Look, the guys are for Ian. Ian Gallagher. That name mean anything to you? He's kind of a mess right now." There was a long pause at the end of the line.

_"Stupid fucking orange vampire… I will send someone soon."_ The woman hung up.

"Ok…" Mickey said, unsure what that was all about. "She said she's sending someone over."

"Good," Ian replied, finally forcing himself to stand. He looked around the garage. "Uh, I think those guys were keeping me over here." Ian walked off, leading the way to what looked like an office room. Ian tried the doorknob. "It's locked."

"Let me," Mickey said as he fetched out an unrolled paperclip from his pocket.

"Pretty good at that, aren't you?"

Mickey looked over at Ian, blushing again at his compliment. "I guess…"

They stared at each other after there was a _click_ from the knob, neither noticed Mickey successfully picked the lock.

"Well, if you two are done eye-fucking, I'm heading in," Iggy interrupted, walking past his brother and Ian, Colin following behind.

Ian smirked at Mickey and walked in the room.

Mickey did his best to ignore his brother's comment and the way Ian looked at him. When he entered, Mickey felt around the wall for a light switch and flicked it on when he found it. "Hey," he nodded ahead of himself, "window."

Colin opened the blinds and tapped the glass. It didn't seem all that sturdy so he and Iggy picked up two of the metal chairs in the office. They proceeded to bang on the window with the chairs until it shattered. They ran the legs of the chairs along the windowsill to make sure there wasn't any glass sticking out. Carefully, the Milkovich brothers, and Ian, made their way through the broken window. As soon as they stepped outside, a black sedan with tinted windows pulled up into the driveway.

Colin let out a long, high-pitched whistle. "That for you?" he asked Ian.

"Yeah," Ian answered, extending his fangs. He'd unconsciously retracted them at some point.

One of the car doors opened, and two men popped their heads out, inviting Ian in with a wriggle of their fingers.

"Wait here," Ian said to Mickey. "This won't take long."

Mickey watched as Ian eagerly entered the vehicle, a frown slowly sneaking up on his face. He looked away and absentmindedly caught Iggy staring at him. "What?"

Iggy shook his head, feigning ignorance. "Nothin'."

Mickey clicked his tongue. "Fuck off."

The car door abruptly swung open. Ian practically jumped out, his strength back and wounds healed. He licked at the blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. "Tell Lana I owe her one," he called out over his shoulder as the car drove off. He turned to face the Milkovich brothers but was looking to Mickey. "I'm at 2119 North Wallace. Meet me there." And in the blink of an eye, Ian was gone, his vampiric speed whisking him away.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Colin asked in amazement.

"This is turning out to be a pretty weird night," Iggy added.

"Yeah, no shit," Mickey replied. He realized their car was locked inside the garage. "C'mon, let's see if we can hot-wire one of these cars."

* * *

><p>After momentarily stopping back at their house to pick up what guns they had left, Mickey drove himself and his brothers to Ian's place. Mickey found the house with ease, only a few blocks from where he and his siblings lived. He parked the car in front of the house and went up the steps, Iggy and Colin following their brother's lead. He knocked on the door only twice before the redheaded vampire answered.<p>

"Hey," Ian greeted with a smile.

Ian looked different, Mickey noted. Now that Ian's wounds were healed, Mickey took in how flawless Ian's skin was, speckled with just the right amount of freckles. Ian had changed clothes too. He wasn't wearing the blood stained outfit Mickey found him in. Ian was wearing jeans and a dark green tank top that brought out the green in his eyes. His hair was slicked back, a small ringlet hanging above his right eyebrow. Mickey had to fight the urge to tuck the rebellious lock of red hair back in place. He internally chided himself for having even thought such a thing before continuing to asses the vampire. Ian looked so… _young_. He couldn't have been a day over eighteen when he was turned.

"Hey," Mickey mimicked.

The two resumed their staring from earlier in the night. Mickey's brothers cleared their throats loudly, making sure the pair got the message.

"Come in," Ian invited, stepping aside to allow the three Milkoviches inside.

"Not much in here," Colin stated, taking in the empty living room.

"I just bought this place. Haven't had the chance to move in yet," Ian explained. "In fact, I was on my way here tonight when those guys jumped me."

"Then what are we doing here?" Iggy inquired.

"What do you mean?"

"No offense, but why are we here? We should be going after those fuckers."

"And where the hell do we start looking?" Mickey asked his brother, then turned to Ian. "You had that hood on you the whole time right?"

Ian nodded. "Yeah, but I think I know where we can start."

"Alright," Iggy said, clasping his hands together. "Let's get a move on then."

* * *

><p>Ian led the Milkovich brothers towards the L tracks. He and Mickey were walking side by side. They stole glances when they thought the other wasn't looking, and when they thought the older Milkoviches didn't notice - they did. Colin looked to Iggy, raising an eyebrow in question and held up two fingers. Iggy shook his head with an amused smile and held up one finger. Silently, they had wagered how many weeks it would take for Ian and Mickey to finally fuck.<p>

"I was walking along here when…"

"What is it, what's wrong?" Mickey asked when Ian stopped to listen to something the others couldn't hear.

As a vampire, Ian had very keen senses. "One of the guys is right over there, in that alley. He's already selling the drugs they stole from you."

"Motherfucker…" Colin huffed. "What are we waiting for?"

Ian watched as the three brothers before him each took out a gun and cocked it, ready to fire at will. It seemed they were out for blood as much as Ian was.

"Kay, Iggy, take dumbass, here, one street over," Mickey ordered.

Colin didn't appreciate the name calling and flipped his brother off.

Mickey ignored him and continued. "Cut this guy off on the other side of the alley." He then turned to Ian. "You and me will take this side."

"You always this bossy?" Ian asked in a slightly flirtatious tone.

It seemed only Mickey picked up on it though. "No!"

"Yeah, you are," Colin interjected.

"Whatever. Just do what I fuckin' say and maybe this time our plans won't go to shit."

Begrudgingly, Colin did as he was told and followed Iggy.

When Iggy and Colin were out of earshot, Mickey turned to Ian. "You really need to stop that."

"Stop what?" Ian asked, making his voice sound as innocent as possible. He tilted his head slightly and raised an eyebrow at Mickey.

Mickey looked away immediately, too embarrassed that Ian made him blush _again_.

Ian chuckled. "You're way too easy to mess with."

Mickey's head snapped back. "Oh, so you're just messing with me?"

"Are you upset because I'm messing with you or because you think I'm not really interested?"

Mickey was about to tell this cocky vampire to go fuck himself when his phone vibrated. It was Iggy.

_"in position. how's ur vamp?"_

_"he's not my vamp. fuck off!"_

_"r u gonna become a fangbanger?"_

_"jfc. just start movin in on the guy"_

"Let's go," Mickey said, nodding off to the alley.

Iggy and Colin got to the dealer first. He'd just finished up a sale with a thin, frail, blonde woman. When he noticed the two older Milkoviches coming his way, he cursed under his breath and turned to run in the opposite direction. He then saw Mickey and Ian coming for him as well. He turned around once more, unsure of what to do next. He looked between the two groups apprehensively. They prowled closer and closer. The man threw his hands up in surrender, backing up against a brick wall.

Ian turned to address the blonde, who seemed frozen in place. "Get out of here."

She nodded nervously and ran off.

"Hey, so you're not dead," the man attempted to joke with the Milkovich brothers. Though, that wasn't a wise choice since they all had their guns aimed at him.

"Shut the fuck up!" Mickey barked. "Which one are you?"

"N-Nick…"

That got Ian's attention. He crowded closer to Nick. "Yeah, aren't you the one who punched me in the stomach earlier?"

"Hey, I'm not the only one who beat on you," Nick tried to reason. "C'mon, three guns and a fanger? That hardly seems fair."

"It wasn't fair either when you and your buddies attacked me with chains of silver. You know, that shit _really_ burns." Ian extended his fangs with a hiss.

"Alright, alright, alright! You wanna know where the others are, don't you?"

"Yeah," Ian began, "but there's only one way to be sure you're not lying." Ian grabbed Nick by his chin, forcing him to look into Ian's eyes. "It's ok, Nick. Everything's going to be ok," he whispered gently.

"Everything's going to be ok," Nick repeated in a zombified manner.

"Dude, what the fuck are you doing to him?" Colin asked, further intrigued by another of Ian's vampiric powers.

Ian ignored Colin and continued. "Nick, tell me where we can find the other men who attacked me and stole from my new friends here?"

Mickey scoffed. "We're friends now?"

There was still no reaction from the vampire. "Where are they Nick?"

"They said they were going to the Alibi bar, to celebrate you killing the Milkoviches. They were gonna come back in the morning to make you meet the sun."

"Were they now?"

"Uh-huh, said they wanted to fry you up."

Ian remained in thought for a moment. "Nick, I want you to get the fuck out of this city and don't come back. And don't beat up any more vampires, I'm sure they won't be as nice as me."

"Hold up, I thought we were gonna kill this fucker?" Iggy groused.

Ian ignored Iggy's protests and let Nick go, who started walking away as if he had no autonomy. Ian turned around, heading to the Alibi.

"Hey, Gallagher!" Mickey called out, but there was no answer. Mickey walked up to the vampire and spun him around by his shoulder. "Ian."

Ian met Mickey's blue eyes, surprised to hear him use his first name. He liked how it sounded on Mickey's lips. Ian sighed. "Have you ever killed anyone?" he asked, then looked over at Mickey's brothers. "Have any of you ever killed anyone?"

The Milkovich brothers remained silent. No, they hadn't killed anyone. They've put people in hospitals before, dug their graves. But actually kill? No, not directly anyway, not by their own hands.

"Didn't think so," Ian said at length.

"We would if we had to," Colin pointed out.

"But you don't. You don't have to."

Mickey was searching Ian's face for an unknown answer to an unknown question. Ian's morality had him dumbstruck. He'd hardly met any people with this amount of humanity in them. But Ian's not human, he's a vampire. That only confused Mickey even more.

Sensing Mickey's gaze, Ian looked back to him. "I'll help you find them, beat the shit outta them, scare them off. But we're _not_ killing them."

Mickey let out a long, stressful sigh and nodded. "Ok."

Iggy clicked his tongue. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, c'mon Mickey," Colin added.

Mickey turned around to face his brothers. "Let's just take back what they stole. Think about it, do we really wanna go down because of these assholes? What about Mandy? What, we're just gonna leave her all alone?"

Iggy groaned with frustration. "Shit… fine, alright."

"Why you always gotta bring Mandy into shit?" Colin questioned.

"'Cause if it weren't for her, _we'd_ probably be dead right now."

"Who's Mandy?" Ian asked.

The three Milkoviches answered in unison. "Our sister."

* * *

><p>Mickey drove the hot-wired car to the Alibi bar, his brothers and Ian in tow. He parked across the bar, staking the place out for the thieves. Mickey lit up a cigarette between his lips as the foursome waited. He took a long drag and slowly exhaled the smoke from his lungs, the vapors swirling and dancing around his face.<p>

Ian was captivated sitting beside Mickey. He should have been paying attention to see when the men they were waiting for came out, but he couldn't remember what they looked like, so he didn't see the point. And how could he focus on anything other than Mickey? His dark hair, piercing blue eyes, perfect pink lips, pale skin. He oddly thought Mickey reminded him of Snow White, and knew if he ever told Mickey that, Mickey would surely stake Ian himself. But, _god_, Mickey was beautiful. Ian almost wanted to thank the thugs for kidnapping him - almost. He was still pretty bitter over the silver and the beating.

"So, Ian," Colin began, snapping Ian out of his reverie. "What's it like being a vampire?"

Iggy and Mickey rolled their eyes at their brother.

Ian chuckled. "Uh, I don't know…"

"You remember what it's like being human?"

"A bit…"

"So, how's it compare?"

"I don't know. It's… different."

"Different how?" Mickey pressed, showing genuine interest.

"Just is."

"_You_ ever kill anyone?" Iggy interjected.

"I'm a vampire, and I've been around a long time."

"That doesn't exactly answer the question, Gallagher," Mickey pointed out.

Ian eyed Mickey again instead of responding.

"That why you don't wanna kill these guys now?"

"Death isn't something to be taken lightly, Mick."

Mickey raised an eyebrow at Ian's informal nickname and flicked away his cigarette butt. "Whatever."

"Hey," Iggy spoke up. "There they are."

The group turned to look at three men clumsily spilling out of the entrance to the bar and piling into their car. They seemed pretty buzzed, but apparently sober enough to drive.

Mickey followed them.

* * *

><p>"Where the hell are they going?" Colin asked, when it seemed the car they were following had no sense of direction.<p>

"Fuck, I don't think even _they_ know," Mickey answered. "We should just get this over with once we get to a street with less traffic lights."

Suddenly, Iggy's phone vibrated. "Hey, sis."

_"Where the fuck are you assholes?"_ Mandy growled through the phone. _"I wake up in the middle of the night, you're all still out and there are less guns in the living room than there were when I got home."_

"Colin fucked things up again, shit got outta hand."

Mickey snorted. "Yeah, that's putting it pretty fuckin' lightly."

"Why you two always gotta be such dicks to me?" Colin wondered.

_"Was that Colin?"_ Mandy asked. _"Put me on speaker."_

"Alright, you're on," Iggy informed.

_"Colin, you dumbass, what did you do now?"_

"Ok, this only the second time I've fucked up! I'm sorry!"

_"Oh, you fucking will be!"_

Ian looked over to Mickey. "Y'know, I may be a vampire but you're sister sounds kind of scary."

_"Who the fuck was that?"_

"Uh… I'm Ian."

"Fanger we picked up," Iggy clarified.

_"Holy shit, a vampire?!"_ Mandy exclaimed. _"What the fuck happened?"_

"Can't really talk now Mands," Mickey called out from the driver's seat.

"Yeah, I'll text you when we're comin' back," Iggy said, and hung up before Mandy could get another word out.

It wasn't long before Mickey followed their targets to a residential neighborhood. The roads were darker, the few street lights that lined the sidewalks were mostly broken.

"Next time they stop, I'll get out, block them from driving further. Then it's all you," Ian suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Mickey agreed.

Right on cue, the car in front of them pulled up to a stop sign.

Ian swiftly got out of the car. He stood in front of his attackers, hindering them from their path.

Darrel was certain his eyes were playing tricks on him. The vampire he and his degenerate friends kidnapped was locked away in his garage, feasting on some Milkovich trash. He was just too drunk to know what's what, probably shouldn't be driving. He rubbed the palms of his hands on his eyes but the figure wouldn't go away. He squinted, that only worsened his confusion. The apparition sure looked liked the fanger they caught. And he was sure it was walking closer and closer towards them. "You guys see that?"

"See what?" Will asked.

Ian was gone.

Now, he _knew_ something was up. Darrel began to panic. "He was _right_ fucking there! I saw him!"

"Who?"

"That fanger we caught!"

"You mean him?" TJ asked, looking at the figure just beside Darrel's door.

Before Darrel could react, Ian had ripped the metal door off it's hinges, dragging Darrel out of the car by his shirt collar. The other two men tried to flee, only to be met with a trio of very angry Milkovich brothers. Both Iggy and Colin caught them, while Mickey helped knock them around, smashing his fists into their faces repeatedly. Darrel was still in Ian's grasp, squirming futilely.

When Mickey was done with the other two, he turned to Darrel. "My, my how the tables have turned." He paused, looking this creep right in the eye. "_Never_ steal from a Milkovich."

"Fuck you!" Darrel spat. He looked to Ian. "What kind of fanger are you? You were supposed to kill them!"

Ian glanced over to Mickey. They'd only met a few short hours ago and he was already helplessly in love with those blue eyes. "I couldn't…"

"What the fuck? Let me go, you dead fucker!"

"That thing you did to the other one, what was that?" Mickey asked Ian.

"It's called a glamour. Like, mind control."

"Can you do that again?"

"Yeah, sure. All three?"

Mickey nodded.

"Think you can hold him down while I do it?"

Mickey raised an eyebrow at Ian. He knew he wasn't tall, or that big, but he was a hell of a lot stronger than he looked. Without answering, Mickey landed a strong blow to Darrel's gut, knocking the wind out of him. Ian let him fall to the ground as Mickey unleashed a series of punches to Darrel's thick face. It wasn't until now that Ian noticed Mickey's knuckle tattoos. It amused him, smiling despite the violent scene before him. He cleared his throat to get Mickey's attention, realizing the human might be getting a little too zealous.

"Yeah, yeah, alright," is all Mickey said, holding Darrel up so Ian could do that Jedi mind trick of his.

When Ian finished giving more or less the same orders to Darrel as he gave Nick, Ian moved on to the other two men. It didn't take long. Darrel and his gang had minds that weren't exactly resistant to manipulation. All humans are susceptible to being glamoured, but some were easier to control than others.

The foursome watched the men who crossed them walk off into the night.

After they'd gone, Colin was the first to move. He popped open the trunk of Darrel's car and found the duffle bag of dope he and his brothers had intended to sell that night. "So, what do we do with this now?"

"What do you mean what do we do with it?" Mickey asked. "We fuckin' sell it."

It wasn't what Mickey had originally intended. This was supposed to be the last big deal he and his brothers made. Now they were just going to have to sell this themselves.

"This kind of illegal activity usual for you guys?" Ian inquired. He's a vampire, he knows things are rough all over, but it had been a while since he saw first hand how rough the life of humans can be.

"Gotta make a living, don't we?" Mickey asked matter-of-factly.

Ian shrugged. He supposed that was true. He'd also been a vampire for a while, which allowed him to acquire a fair amount of money. Ian wasn't a millionaire or anything like that, but he was very well off. It had made him forget just how difficult it used to be to make ends meet, back when he was human.

"Better get a move on," Iggy declared, shooting off a text to their sister. "Don't wanna stay here too long. Plus, Mandy's waiting up."

"Aw, shit!" Colin cursed. "I do _not_ wanna deal with her right now."

"Sucks to be you!" Iggy gibed as Colin gave him the finger and hauled the duffle bag out of the trunk. Instead of going back to the car they'd hot-wired, they got into Darrel's convertible.

Ian and Mickey were left awkwardly standing alone, nothing acting as a buffer now that the night's mission was completed.

"Uh… you wanna, um," Mickey began shyly. "We could give you a ride, if you want."

Ian couldn't stop himself from grinning at Mickey. Was this really the same guy who just beat the shit out of a group of thugs who stole drugs from him? Was this the same guy whose knuckles read 'FUCK U-UP'? Ian bit his bottom lip, loving every ounce of Mickey's bashfulness before answering. "Sure."

Mickey nodded in acknowledgement, walking towards the driver's seat only to find Iggy already sitting comfortably at the wheel. Iggy gave his younger brother a challenging look but Mickey didn't engage. The last thing he wanted was to make a scene and embarrass himself further in front of Ian. But that meant he had to sit in the backseat with the vampire. He huffed out a sigh and plopped down next to the redhead.

The car ride home was awkward as hell.

Tension filled the car, which was only amplified by how quite everyone was. Ian and Mickey didn't dare make conversation, uncertain of where things went from here. They'd met under such unconventional circumstances, they didn't know how to proceed. And Iggy and Colin, sensing their brother's and the vampire's uneasiness, were smart to keep quiet about it.

When they reached the Milkovich house, Mickey leapt out of the car before Iggy fully pulled up onto the curb. He stilled for a moment, appreciating the cool summer breeze on his skin. He had been burning up in the car thanks to that damn redheaded fanger. He released a staggered sigh and ran a hand over his face as his brothers and Ian got out of the car.

Iggy turned to his brother. "We should get rid of the car tomorrow, and pick up ours."

Mickey barely registered what Iggy said but nodded anyways. His brother was just about to bring up what Mickey had been avoiding the whole night when Mandy came storming from their house.

"You _literal_ pieces of shit!"

Hell hath no fury like a Milkovich woman scorned.

Ian noticed all three brothers took a step back, and he instinctively did the same. Mandy completely ignored the vampire for the moment though and went straight for her brothers. She threw her fists at their chests in frustration but not hard enough that it hurt them _too_ much.

"You have _any_ idea how scared I was when I realized how late it was and you assholes _still_ weren't home?!" She faced Mickey. "I thought you weren't gonna do any deals at night, assface?!"

Mickey was quick to point a finger at Colin. "It was all him, douchebag!"

"What the fuck, Mickey?" Colin whined before Mandy began hitting her brother on the arm, in the exact same spot over and over again.

"And you!" Mandy shrieked, turning to Ian.

Ian was watching the scene quietly until now. He quickly drew up his hands in surrender. "Are you gonna hit me too?"

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Ian. Gallagher. Vampire your brothers found."

"Oh, right," Mandy's voice softened a bit. _This vampire's pretty hot_, Mandy thought.

Ian steadily lowered his hands. He was certain if he made any sudden movements, Mandy would tear his head off.

"They didn't tell me you were so attractive." Mandy's brothers groaned before she continued. "Tell me, Ian, what's a girl gotta do to get asked out by a vampire?"

Ian chuckled. "Uh, find a vampire that isn't gay, maybe?" he offered.

Mandy caught the glance Ian shot at Mickey as he spoke. "Huh, that's too bad," she slowly turned to Mickey, "for _me_ anyways."

Mickey shook his head. He couldn't believe his sister's audacity right now, and Iggy hadn't been any better. He wondered how much longer it would be before Colin chipped in with his two-cents.

He exhaled deeply before speaking. "Are we going the fuck to bed? It's been a long night."

"Is that an invitation?"

Mickey snapped his head towards Ian. His siblings erupted in fits of giggles, but they were considerate enough to leave the two in private. They walked inside their house but Mickey was sure Mandy was watching from the window.

"Do I get an answer?" Ian asked after a brief silence.

"The answer is fuck off."

Ian simply shrugged, deciding to change the subject. "Thanks, by the way. You did kinda save me back there."

"Yeah… well, thanks for not draining us."

Ian took a careful step forward. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something more but no words came out. Ian knew he'd been a bit forward with Mickey, especially under the conditions with which they met. Maybe it was best he didn't push further. He sighed defeatedly. "Uh, well… I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah, I guess."

Instead of speeding off like he did earlier, Ian slowly walked off in the direction of his house.

Mickey briefly watched Ian walking down the street before he headed inside.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong> Come say hello on tumblr: i-like-em-sweet


	3. Strangers

**Chapter 3: Strangers**

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong> Title from Strangers by William Control  
><em>We fall, we fall in love with strangers killing time<em>  
><em>We fall, we fall in love with strangers in the night<em>

* * *

><p>In the seventy-eight years Ian Gallagher has walked the earth, he's never been in love.<p>

He thinks that's pretty sad. Not in a pitiful kind of way, but in a remorseful kind of way. What did it say about someone who'd been around for over three-quarters of a century and never experienced love? But then, he was never really given the opportunity, being turned at such a young age. Maybe it was a good thing, remembering his siblings lack of success with love. The lying and cheating boyfriends Fiona kept, the hearts and spirits of women Lip would so easily crush, the older men Debbie chased in an attempt to grow up too quickly, the junior criminals Carl lost himself in, and Liam who Ian never got to see grow up and find his own paramour. And then there was Frank and Monica, his parents. What a shit-show they were if he ever saw one.

So when he jerked off in his bed after waking up mid-morning to thoughts of a raven haired, blue eyed human, Ian decided whatever he was feeling - it was most certainly _not_ love.

He was just incredibly horny, that's it. It'd been a while since he had a good lay. Just one good fuck, that's all he needed.

Ian forced himself to push all thoughts of Mickey and the previous night out of his head, willing himself back to sleep for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>In the short nineteen years Mickey Milkovich has been alive, he's never been in love.<p>

In fact, he's almost certain such a concept doesn't exist. Not the kind in the romance flicks Mandy likes to watch anyways. Maybe there isn't any other kind of love either. He's never known anyone in love. His parents sure as shit weren't. Mickey's mother passed when he was only ten but he'd been old enough to know there was no love between his parents, if his father's fits of drunken rage and his mother's quiet sobbing when she thought everyone was asleep were any indication. Colin and Iggy kept a close circle of girlfriends they sometimes shared, which Mickey thought was pretty gross to be quite honest, but he'd never known his brothers being in love with any of those girls. And Mandy never kept a steady boyfriend either. Maybe it was just his parents' hateful marriage that fucked them up in the love department.

So when he jerked off in the shower to thoughts of a specific redheaded, arrogant vampire, Mickey decided whatever he was feeling - it was most certainly _not_ love.

He was just incredibly horny, that's it. It'd been a while since he had a good lay. Just one good fuck, that's all he needed.

Mickey forced himself to push all thoughts of Ian and the previous night out of his head, willing himself out of the shower to face the day.

He was just finishing getting dressed when he heard one of his brothers calling for him.

"Get a move on, Mickey!" Iggy yelled through Mickey's bedroom door.

"Alright, jesus!" Mickey yelled back. He yanked the door open, glowering at Iggy for a brief moment before they joined their siblings in the kitchen.

Even after Terry left, the Milkovich siblings didn't eat meals together often. It was nothing personal, just that they didn't really have a routine for anything they did. So when someone was hungry, they made themselves a sandwich, poured themselves a bowl of cereal, ate the last packet of strawberry pop-tarts, didn't really bother to cook full meals for everyone. After last night though, a shared meal seemed like a good idea. Mandy had made eggs and sausage, nothing special, Colin helped though, that was different. None of them ever said it, but they really did like how close they'd all become following Terry's departure. And when something didn't go the way it was supposed to, like say a drug deal where your buyer tries to feed you to a ravenous vampire, they felt a strong need to stick close to each other for at least a little while.

They sat around their small table in the kitchen not really talking, just enjoying each other's company as they silently ate their breakfast. There was a small television set propped up on a stool in the corner of the kitchen. The volume had been lowered so it just became background noise but Mandy turned it up when she heard the word _vampire_. Vampires intrigued her. She wasn't naive enough to trust any of them, barely trusted humans, but she liked learning about them. _Ian seems good enough though_, she thinks. He aided her brothers after all, so she didn't feel guilty or uncomfortable coming on to him right off the bat. Though, it wasn't meant to be, Ian's into guys, can't do anything about that. And judging by the little glances he exchanged with Mickey, it seemed Ian had his sights set on a different Milkovich sibling.

Mandy focused her attention on the television where Steve Newlin, head of a vampire hating church, was arguing with Nan Flanagan, accusing vampires for his father's murder.

_"The vampires, as a group, have cheated death. And when death has no meaning, life has no meaning. And when life has no meaning, it is very, very easy to kill."_

_"Not true, Reverend Newlin. Life has great meaning for us. We've all known the joy of human life, and as several of your kind demonstrated in Louisiana three weeks ago, we most certainly can die. Your assertion is little more than veiled incitement for your supporters to come kill us."_

_"No amount of political grandstanding can hide the fact that you know who killed my family. Their blood is on your hands."_

_"That's an outrageous accusation."_

_"Can you back that up Reverend?"_ the news anchor asked.

_"My father's death was an assassination, pure and simple. A killing meticulously planned, ruthlessly executed. From there, all you have to ask is who stands the most to gain?"_

_"We're running out of time. Last words, Ms. Flanagan?"_

_"Clearly Reverend Newlin's grief over the loss of his father has unhindered him from some political grandstanding himself."_

_"It's a beautiful sunny morning in America, Ms. Flanagan. I wish you were here."_

_"Give me twelve hours, Reverend. I'll be right there."_

"I like her," Mandy states after the debate ended.

Mickey snorts in response as he finishes off his black coffee.

"So, Ian seems alright," Mandy begins, choosing her words carefully. "For a vampire."

"Probably never would have caught those guys last night if it weren't for him," Iggy points out.

"You think he can fly?" Colin asks abruptly.

"Oh my fucking god!" Mickey groans. "You're all just a bunch of wannabe fangbangers!" He hastily gets up from his seat and dumps his dirty dishes in the sink. "I'll be waiting in the car."

As Mickey leaves, Mandy turns to her other brothers. "So, you guys already placed bets on how long it's gonna take for them to bone?"

"Colin's got two weeks, I say one."

"Oh, please!" Mandy cackles. "You're both wrong. I give it five days - tops."

"You're on little sis," Colin says, he and Iggy rising to meet their brother outside.

As they reach the door, they hear Mickey honking the car horn at them.

"How is it that I was the last one to wake up and now _I'm_ the one waiting on you assholes?" Mickey asks as his brothers settle into the car, Iggy at his side and Colin in the back again.

"Just fucking drive," Iggy grumbles. "We wanna get there before anybody learns Darrel is missing and finds our car."

* * *

><p>The Milkovich brothers arrived at the garage, left Darrel's convertible and retrieved their own car without any problems. It wasn't a complex endeavor, but something about the operation going so smoothly had Mickey feeling uneasy. He couldn't quite place it, but something was off, he felt it in his gut. Relenting, Mickey lit up a cigarette to calm his nerves. It wasn't that helpful, especially since he was driving past Ian's house at the moment. He stopped the car suddenly when he noticed a moving truck pulling into Ian's driveway.<p>

"Hey, where you headed?" Iggy asks as Mickey parks in the middle of the street and gets out of the car.

"Doesn't take all three of us to take the car back. I'll catch up with you guys later. And start moving that dope."

Iggy pulls a face but moves to the driver's seat anyways, Colin taking Iggy's previous spot.

"Thinking maybe Mandy might be right. Knew I shouldn't have bet two weeks," Colin groused.

"Jesus, our lives must be pretty fucking boring if we have to bet on when our brother's gonna score," Iggy reflects as he drives off.

Mickey waits until his brothers are out of sight until he proceeds towards the man knocking on Ian's door. The guy is about three times the size of Mickey, but he has a soft face. Mickey can tell he's harmless, plus the man is in a mover's uniform, no doubt he's here delivering Ian's belongings.

"Hello? Anyone home?" The man asks through the door as he keeps knocking.

"Hey," Mickey calls to the man from the gate.

"Hey," the man greets, turning around and walking up to Mickey. "You live here?"

"Nah, but I know who does. Won't be able to reach him right now though."

"Oh, yeah, why's that?"

"Uh…" Mickey pauses. He knows not everyone has such an easy time wrapping their heads around the fact that vampires exist. And this guy seems ok, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. "He's just a heavy sleeper."

"Right…" The man narrows his eyes suspiciously. "Well, can you sign?"

"Oh! Uh, sure, um…" Mickey trails off, he doesn't see a name tag on the guy's uniform.

"It's Oscar."

"Oscar."

When Mickey hands the clipboard back, Oscar thinks to ask a curious question. "Hey," he begins cautiously. "He's not a vampire is he?"

Mickey shrugs. "Everybody's gotta live somewhere."

"Shit…" Oscar swears under his breath. "Look, you don't mind if the other movers and I just get this done as quickly as possible and hit the road, do you?"

Mickey doesn't bother telling Oscar that it's only two o'clock and that there'll still be light out for several hours. "Yeah, whatever."

"Thanks, man, really." Oscar hastily paces towards the moving crew. "Let's hurry it up, fellas. Fanger lives here."

Mickey rolls his eyes. It's not like vampires aren't dangerous or frightening, but so are humans. And he can't get over the fact that the sun is still out. Mickey doesn't see how anyone can be scared of something when there's no threat present.

The movers finish quickly, like they said they would, eager to get the hell out of there. Mickey helps them carry a few items, if only to speed up the process. And luckily, Ian doesn't seem to be in possession of much. A few furniture pieces, couch and coffee table for the living room, a small dining set for the kitchenette, and a few boxes that probably mostly hold clothes. He did have a rather large dresser and expansive bed. Mickey guessed Ian must have wanted those in one of the larger rooms upstairs, so that's where he tells the movers to place them.

Though, Mickey doesn't remember actually seeing Ian in any of the bedrooms, or anywhere else in the house. He knows Ian will be asleep during the day, but asleep where? Mickey is resting on the couch with a beer in his hand, which he was surprised Ian had in the fridge, when he realizes this. He rises from his seat and goes to investigate further upstairs. He checks the bedrooms - no Ian. He checks the bathroom, the closets - no Ian. He descends from the back stairs and finds another bathroom - still no Ian. _Where the fuck is this vampire_, Mickey wonders. He was going to check if there was a garage out back or something when his phone rings. It's Mandy.

"Hey, fuckface," she greets when Mickey answers. "What are you up to?"

"Went to get the car, you know that."

"Yeah, but that was this morning. What are you doing now?"

"What's it to you?" Mickey snaps. "Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"I'm on break, asshole."

"Well, douchebag, is there a reason you called other than to annoy the shit outta me?"

"Yeah, gotta work a later shift today. After dark, think you can swing by?"

Mickey has always been protective of Mandy, and it's not that he doesn't trust her to look after herself, she always carries a shiv and a baton, but since the vampires came out, he isn't taking any chances. It seems there is a body popping up every few weeks, drained dry. So far, the people being killed were the dregs of society so no one really made too much of a fuss out of it. Still, Mickey doesn't want any of his siblings going anywhere alone at night.

"Colin and Iggy have the car but sure."

"Kay, see you in a bit."

"Later," Mickey says and hangs up to meet his sister.

Mickey catches the L to head to the diner Mandy works at. The foreboding feeling in his gut has somewhat settled but it's still there. He chalks it up to the lingering nerves from the previous night.

Gazing out the window to the city and neighborhoods below him, he replays the events in his mind. The drive to the garage, the bright lights blinding his vision for a few seconds, learning they'd been duped, learning they were supposed to die that night. _Death isn't something to be taken lightly, Mick._ Ian's words reverberate through Mickey's skull. He closes his eyes and tries not to think of Ian. Tries not to think of his deep green eyes, his fiery red hair, the scattered freckles on his face, his smirking lips. He tries not to think of the fact that Ian's a vampire.

"Fuck," Mickey curses under his breath. He can't wait to get off the train, he really needs a cigarette.

* * *

><p>When he reaches his stop, Mickey lights up promptly as he exits the train cart. The hit of nicotine doing very little to calm him down. By the time he reaches the diner, Mickey has smoked through two more cigarettes.<p>

Mandy spots her brother immediately and actually smiles at him. A genuinely happy smile. Those were rare once. Mickey can't help but smile back as he takes a seat at the counter.

"Hey," Mandy greets. "You're just in time for dinner. What do you want?"

It was at this moment Mickey's stomach growled loud enough for his sister to hear.

"Jesus, have you not eaten anything yet?"

"Uh…" Had his last meal really been breakfast? "I was busy."

"Hanging out by yourself at Ian's all day?"

"How did you-"

"Iggy," Mandy cut off. "Called him after I talked to you, said you were over there."

Mickey huffs out a sigh, he made a mental note to get his brother back somehow. "Movers were looking for him, thought I'd sign for his stuff. No big deal."

"Ok," Mandy says simply in a not at all convincing tone. She places a plate of the day's special in front of Mickey, though it looks like a standard dish of spaghetti and meatballs with a side of garlic bread.

Mickey wonders if Ian has any aversion to garlic. Then Mickey frowns at his food, still cranky he can't get the damn vampire off his mind. He angrily and unattractively shoveles a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth. "When do you get off?"

"Nine. One of the other waitresses called in sick and there was no one else who could cover her shift."

"Alright, not like I had anything better to do tonight."

"Like waiting for Ian to get up?" Mandy smirks.

"What?" Mickey asks, furrowing his brow. "No, no I wasn't waiting for him." _Was I_, he wonders.

Mandy's smirk grows wider.

"I wasn't!"

"You could do a lot worse," Mandy says at length.

"We don't even know him."

"What I _know_ is that he helped you out when he didn't have to."

"I don't know, Mands. I don't know if I even really like him. _I_ don't know him."

"Yet, you subconsciously made the choice to wait for him at his place. That's gotta say something."

"He's a," Mickey begins, but looks around to make sure no one is listening in on their conversation. He then leans forward and whispers, "He's a vampire."

And then Mandy actually snorts and rolls her eyes at Mickey.

"Why are you acting like that's not a big deal, doucheface?"

"If he weren't, would this be any easier?"

Mickey pulls a face, pondering if it will be permanently stuck in a scowl. "Fuck, I don't know! I don't know anything!"

Mandy smiles apologetically at her brother and sighs. "I'll get you a beer."

Thankfully, Mandy drops the subject and she and Mickey spend the rest of her shift just shooting the shit, some lighthearted sibling banter thrown in. The hours always seem to go by a lot quicker when she has company. She's just finished serving her last patron and goes to change and clock out when she receives a call from Iggy. When Mandy answers her phone, it's clear there's something that has her brother quite distressed.

_"Mandy, are you alright?"_ Iggy asks in a panicked voice.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? Are you ok?"

_"Fuck, I tried calling Mickey but he wasn't answering. I thought he was fucking dead!"_

"Iggy, what the fuck are you talking about? He's with me at the diner," Mandy informs, confusion and concern steadily rising. Mandy's eyes grow wide with shock. She understands the words Iggy speaks, yet she can't make sense of what he is saying.

_"Mandy, whatever you do, don't go over to Ian's. And make sure Mickey stays the hell away from him too!"_

Mandy nods but then remembers Iggy wouldn't be able to know that. "Y-yeah," she stammers. "Ok." She hangs up and takes a moment to compose herself before she goes out to meet Mickey.

Mickey is outside smoking a cigarette again and waiting on his sister. He hears the bell on the door chime and turns around, only to find Mandy visibly freaked the fuck out. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Mandy blinks once at her brother and answers. "Darrel and his gang are dead."

Mickey blanched. "What?"

"They were found back at the garage. They were killed."

"We were just there this morning! How is this possible?"

"They're dead, Mickey."

"How?"

"Far as the police can tell, it was a vampire. They all had marks on their necks and wrists, completely drained."

"Do you think-"

"I don't know, Mick," Mandy cut off.

"Shit…"

* * *

><p>Ian wakes up at a later time than usual. This is uncommon for vampires, who routinely rise from their slumber as soon as the sun goes down. But Ian was dreaming. And dreaming is far more uncommon for vampires. The last time Ian dreamt was a few years after he'd been turned, and those dreams would be more accurately described as nightmares. This was anything but a nightmare, though it was grim. Despite successfully returning to sleep this morning, Ian dreamt of the events of the previous night. He dreamt of Mickey. And he supposes that he slept in tonight because his mind didn't want to stop dreaming of Mickey. Ian sighs forlornly and compels himself out of his bed. He does in fact sleep in a bed - not a coffin.<p>

He ascends the stairs of the basement hazily. Suddenly, Ian remembers there were movers meant to come earlier and wonders if they'd been kind enough to drop off his belongings. He would have asked Mickey to sign for his things but often found himself losing his train of thought around the human, despite pulling off a debonair facade. He speeds into the living room and indeed finds several boxes containing his clothes and other personal effects. Ian wonders if the movers also delivered his spare bed and goes upstairs to inspect the bedrooms. He finds his bed and dresser neatly set up in what was once Fiona's old bedroom. Ian thinks this has been awfully nice of the movers. He had noticed his living room and kitchen were organized with the correct furniture as well, and wonders if someone other than the movers have been in his home that day.

Ian returns to the living room, surveying the space for any clues. It doesn't take long. He spots a phone on the couch. He picks it up and swipes his thumb across the screen to unlock it. It's Mickey's phone. Ian smiles dumbly for a moment but then notices several missed calls and texts from Iggy. His smile falters. He listens in on a few of the voicemails Iggy left and they all sound urgent and alarming but nothing in the voicemails informs Ian to what has Iggy so panicked. Ian looks through some of the texts, still he learns nothing. Has something happened to Mickey? He was here at some point during the day, otherwise his phone wouldn't be here, but where is he now? Has he been taken? By whom? Ian's mind races with a million and one questions and scenarios, each one worse than the last. He needs to find Mickey _now_.

He rushes to the Milkovich home. He is grateful for the short distance and his vampiric speed. Quickly, he climbs up the steps and knocks loudly on the door with his fist. But instead of seeing Mickey, he finds a different Milkovich brother answering the door.

"Iggy! Is Mickey-" Ian is abruptly cut off with a swift blow to his face, tattooed knuckles making hard contact with his nose.

"Stay the fuck away from my brother!" Iggy growls.

Caught off his guard, Ian stumbles backwards and falls down the front steps. He composes himself and rises to his feet instantly, his broken nose already healing itself. There is little damage a human can do to a vampire with just their bare hands. Ian notices Colin coming into view from the doorframe behind Iggy, a gun pointed in his direction. "What the fuck is going on? Why did you hit me?"

"Stay away from our brother, fanger!"

"Stay away from all of us," Colin adds.

Iggy cracks his knuckles, showing off similar tattoos to Mickey's.

Ian restrains from rolling his eyes at the lame attempt of bravado. "Where is Mickey?"

As if summoned, Mickey and Mandy hastily make their way towards the commotion taking place in front of their house.

Mandy hurries up the stairs and steals the gun from Colin's hands. "Would you two calm the fuck down! I told you Mickey was with me tonight!"

"C'mon, how are we supposed to defend ourselves!" Colin yells, trying for the gun only to have his hand smacked away.

"Wouldn't do much anyways," Ian scoffs.

"Silver bullets, asshole," Iggy clarifies.

"Ok, everybody chill the fuck out!" Mickey interrupts loudly. He turns to face Ian. "Me and you gotta talk."

"No, fuck that! Mickey, you can't-"

"I got this," Mickey interruptes Iggy, his voice stern.

Iggy roughly takes the gun from Mandy and hands it to Mickey. "Take it."

"Don't need it, man."

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you," Iggy says as he shoves the gun at Mickey's chest.

Mickey takes the gun reluctantly, understanding nothing less will appease his brother. He tucks it into the waist of his jeans and motions for Ian to follow him. He leads Ian to the alleyway next to the house. He paces back and forth nervously a few times before finally facing Ian. Mickey is silent, unsure of how to begin. He bites his bottom lip anxiously.

"You gonna tell me what this is all about?" Ian asks.

Mickey decides it's best to just get it over with. "Darrel and his gang were killed tonight. Police are saying it was a vampire."

"And you think it was me?" Ian questions, clearly offended.

Mickey rubs a thumb on his chin apprehensively, trying to shake off his nerves. He looks away from Ian briefly and thinks he could really use a cigarette right about now. He wonders just how much his nicotine intake has increased since meeting the vampire. He makes a mental note to steal a pack from one of his siblings later. At length Mickey speaks, "No… but I think it's a pretty big fucking coincidence some _other_ fanger killed those guys after you helped us out."

"Well, your brothers sure seem to think it was me."

"You ain't exactly off the hook with Mandy either so don't get your hopes up."

Ian chuckles pathetically before speaking again. "I think you're right."

Mickey looks at Ian expectantly.

"I think whoever did this wanted you to think it was me."

"Don't suppose you got any ideas who?"

"Vampires live for hundreds of years. I haven't been around as long but still have countless enemies, could be anyone."

"Jesus…"

"Have there been other killings?"

"Yeah, but no one anybody knew or cared about."

"Maybe it's not the same vampire," Ian surmises.

"You sayin' there's _more_ than one fanger out here killing us off?"

"It's possible, yes."

"Fuck me, man."

Ian wants to make a joke there but doesn't need to when he notices Mickey's face flushes red with embarrassment, realizing what he's just said. He bites back his laughter with a sly grin and waits for Mickey to speak again.

"I just meant-"

"I know," Ian interrupts.

A brief silence passes between the vampire and human, tension quickly filling the atmosphere around them. It seems the air grows hotter and more humid. They ponder for a moment if this has anything to do with the summer season - probably not.

"I should get back before my brothers and Mandy think I became your dinner or some shit."

Ian laughs heartily. "Alright." He smiles and bites his bottom lip as he watches Mickey leave. "Oh, wait!" he calls out and catches Mickey by his wrist.

Mickey spins around, facing Ian.

"Your phone," Ian says, handing it to Mickey. "You left it at my place. Thanks for signing for my stuff by the way."

"Sure, no problem."

Ian's hands are cool against Mickey's skin, but where the vampire's fingers wrap around Mickey's wrist it feels like fire. Mickey realizes how close they're standing, and at this distance is able to make out the light freckles dusting Ian's face. _He has really green eyes too_, Mickey thinks. He then notices Ian's chest begin steadily rising and falling, and wonders what he looks like shirtless. Mickey begins breathing a little harder as well, as if he's attempting to stop the air from being sucked out of his lungs. Mickey tries to gulp down the nerves caught in his throat.

Ian glances down at Mickey's pink lips, waiting for a clear indication to proceed. Unfortunately, he does not receive one. He feels Mickey pulling his hand back lightly. Ian didn't realize he was still holding on to Mickey and immediately releases him. Embarrassed, Ian is quick to apologize but speaks at the same moment Mickey does.

"I'm sorry." "Gotta get back."

"Uh, I really should go," Mickey says sheepishly.

"Yeah." Ian watches Mickey leave again before he calls out to him once more. "Mickey."

"What is it now, Gallagher?"

Ian grins smugly. "I took the liberty of putting my number in your phone."

_Of course you did._

"I'll text you."

"Whatever," Mickey says, smiling despite his best efforts to be nonchalant. Finally, he turns on his heel and heads inside his house.

Ian stands in thought for a few moments after Mickey leaves, contemplating what his next move should be. He sighs and decides to call Svetlana. His phone rings a while, she's probably pissed at him. Eventually, she picks up on the sixth ring.

_"Look who finally calls,"_ Svetlana answers.

"Hey."

_"Do not 'hey' me. Do you know how rare is O negative human? And you ask for two."_

Different blood types have different healing abilities. O negative is one of the strongest, and comes in short supply, also making it very valuable.

"I'm sorry. It was an emergency. I could have died!" Ian exaggerates. He was hurt badly but not quite near death.

_"You are already dead!"_

"Minor technicality."

_"What is it you want? I know you have reason for calling, and is not to say thank you."_

Ian adopts his most placating tone to speak again. "Thank you, Svetlana, for saving my life."

_"You should be thanking Nika. If not for her, I let you meet true death long ago."_

"Now you're just being mean, you know you love me. But speaking of which, how is my sister?"

_"See, I knew you had, what is called? Ulterior motives…"_

"Call it whatever you want. Something bad's happened, or is happening, I don't know yet. Tell her I need to speak with her."

_"You can see her tonight. She will be here shortly."_

"I don't know if that's good or bad," Ian says more to himself than Svetlana. "Alright, where are you living now? I'll be right over."

* * *

><p>Ian arrives promptly at Svetlana's apartment building and is buzzed up to her floor. The building looks a bit rundown from the outside, it has a few busted windows, but is a bit more welcoming inside. And Ian is glad that it is at least located on a safer part of town. When Ian reaches Svetlana's door, she's already waiting for him in the doorway. She stands between the threshold, giving the vampire a once over.<p>

"You look good," she says, turning around and walking further into her apartment.

"Seriously?" Ian whines. "I haven't been here yet."

Svetlana knows very well that vampires cannot enter a person's home without being invited first, she's just making Ian suffer a little. She looks over her shoulder at Ian. "You may come in."

Ian briskly walks in. "Nika here yet?"

"_Hello Lana, how are you?_ Oh, I am fine, thank you for asking. _I am sorry for not taking you with me to California._ Is fine, I get over it." Svetlana is carrying on a conversation with herself, the kind where one pretends to be speaking with another person, and that person is responding exactly how you would want them to.

"I was hoping we could avoid that discussion."

Svetlana shakes her head disapprovingly at Ian. She hasn't seen him in eight years, not since she was seventeen. They were around the same age then, or looked like they were the same age anyway.

"You left me…"

"I couldn't take you with me. Besides, Nika looked after you. I'd say that turned out well for the both of you."

Svetlana crosses her arms angrily, remaining silent, and willing her heated tears to stay at bay.

"Don't do that, I hate it when you do that." Ian steadily walks forward so as to not spook his long lost friend. Slowly he brings his arms up, pulling Svetlana into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry."

Svetlana eases into Ian's arms and allows a few tears to fall, but she doesn't make a sound. Her lips slowly turn up into a smile as she feels Ian place a kiss on her forehead. "I am _not_ little girl _Ian_."

"That's what you always said." Ian responds, smiling back. "But I've lived a lifetime, you'll always be younger than me."

Svetlana chuckles and is about to reply when she notices another vampire she is quite attached to watching from the doorway. She smiles fondly at her girlfriend.

"Am I interrupting little reunion?" Nika asks playfully.

"You were spying!"

"I am not spy, I live here too."

"Nika!" Ian calls out, happy to see his vampire sister. He releases Svetlana and quickly encases Nika in his long arms.

"Long time no see, brother," she says, returning the hug. "What mess have you gotten yourself into this time?"

Ian parts from Nika and breathes a heavy sigh. He walks into their living room and takes a seat on the couch. Nika and Svetlana make room for themselves on the love seat, though there is plenty of room next to the redhead. Ian notes to tease them later but for now there are more pressing matters at hand. He tells them of the other night he returned to his old neighborhood, of being beaten and kidnapped, meeting the Milkoviches, but he says little of Mickey. He tells them of teaming up with the human family and going after the men who attacked him, then learning tonight those same men had been killed supposedly by vampire. And he tells them there have been other killings, possibly committed by a different vampire entirely. When Ian is finished with his account, Svetlana and Nika fall into a long, pensive silence.

"Well?" Ian presses. "How bad is it? What do you think?"

Nika speaks first. "I think you should have killed the ones you were trapped with."

"Nika!" Svetlana chastises.

"Would have been easier."

Ian rolls his eyes. "Ok, one, you don't mean that, not really. And two, it wasn't their fault."

Nika shakes her head in exasperation. "I do not know what this means, Ian. This is bad."

"What do you mean you don't know? You're more involved in the vampire world than _I'll_ ever be. What's the AVL been up to these days?"

Several decades before vampires came out, a group of vampires joined together in the hopes of one day making their presence known to the public. They made allies with vampires and humans alike with different skills and knowledge of various subjects, and with anyone who was willing to help. Nika was a member of this group. She had left her sadistic maker as soon as he released her. She believed that in helping this group and through mainstreaming, Nika might be able to right some of the wrongs she had committed, to do good. Unfortunately, she made the difficult choice to leave when she learned her maker turned another human - Ian. And when Ian left for California, Nika wanted to re-enter the group, though she found it had changed drastically.

"The AVL would not know anything about this. They are too busy talking politics to take heads out of own asses."

"Then what good are they if they're not gonna actually help people?"

"Sometimes I wonder. They do not care about humans like they want everyone to think. We will have to deal with this ourselves."

"Fucking fabulous!" Ian replies sarcastically.

"Maybe stop being hero and there will be no mess to clean up, huh?"

"He didn't deserve to die."

"He?" Svetlana asks suspiciously.

Ian blushes at his slip. "I meant they…"

"Of course this is about boy. Was he the one who call for you?"

Ian sighs. "His name's Mickey. And no, this isn't about him. Not entirely anyways."

Nika scoffs.

"Anyway," Ian begins, eager to change the subject. "I think you and the members of the oldest profession shouldn't work for a while, Lana."

"And how do we make money?"

"Nika and I both have more than enough to take care of you, all of you."

"No, I tell you before, I _work_ for my money."

"Now's not the time to be prideful."

"He is right, Svetlana," Nika adds. "You cannot work. At least, find other job, something safer."

Svetlana huffs in exasperation. "Fucking vampires…"

Ian and Nika stare at Svetlana expectantly.

"Fine," she concedes. "I tell others tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Mickey is lying awake in his bed. Everything that has happened in the past two nights is keeping him up. He tries to rest his eyes but all he keeps seeing as soon as his eyelids close is Ian. Ian, Ian, <em>Ian<em>. That damn redheaded fanger. Despite all the grim events that have transpired, his thoughts keep returning to him. Each phenomenon he's witnessed, and even been a part of, has been a warning to stay away from the vampire, but he just can't help himself. _Christ_, he could kick himself right now. He's acting like a middle school girl with a crush, marking up her notebook with scattered little hearts. _A crush_, Mickey thinks. Does he have a crush on Ian? Crushes are cute and innocent. This feels… nauseating. It vexes Mickey further that he is unable to discern these new, complex, fucked up feelings he's experiencing.

He repositions himself on his bed, trying to relax. And then because he doesn't know what else to do, Mickey reaches for his phone. He swipes his thumb over the screen and checks his messages. There is nothing new. He searches for Ian's name in his contacts. Mickey stares at Ian's name on his phone, as if he's willing Ian to text him. He has convinced himself he only wants to hear from Ian to learn any recent information he might have gathered, no other reason. Mickey wrestles with his thoughts some more before shutting his phone off and tossing it somewhere else on his bed. He turns on his side, away from the direction he threw his phone in, and yanks the covers over his head. He remains in hiding for about forty-five seconds until he throws the covers back and retrieves his phone. He turns it back on and places it on the nightstand next to his bed. At some point during the night, Mickey is finally able to fall asleep.

Mickey's phone vibrates but he can't hear it, he's already out cold.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong> Mainstreaming: refers to a social movement within the vampire race, in which vampires attempt to integrate themselves into everyday human society.  
>Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you! :)<p> 


	4. Let The Right One In

**Chapter 4: Let the Right One In**

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong> Title taken from the vampire novel Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist.

* * *

><p>The following morning, in the Milkovich home, was not as genial as the one before. Upon entering the kitchen, Mickey only found his sister present at the table. Iggy and Colin were on the couch but payed no attention to their younger brother. Mickey poured himself a cup of black coffee and a bowl of Cap'N Crunch and sat opposite of his sister. Mandy cleared her throat softly and motioned with her head at Mickey to talk to their other two siblings. Mickey shook his head and took a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. Mickey's recalcitrance earned him a swift kick to his knee under the table and a pointed look from Mandy. Mickey grunted and glared back at his sister. He downed the rest of his coffee and made a show of rubbing his knee until finally putting his dishes in the sink and walking towards his brothers in the living room.<p>

"So, you guys sold any of that coke yet?" Mickey was beating around the bush.

"Actually, yeah. It's sellin' faster than we- ow, what the fuck, Iggy!" Colin was interrupted by Iggy's fist punching him in the shoulder.

Mickey and Iggy turned their attention from their brother to each other, both glowering in silence.

"C'mon, you guys…" Colin groused.

"Seriously," Mandy adds, coming from the kitchen. "Don't make me use my baton on either of you!" she warns.

Her brothers seemed to understand Mandy wasn't joking, so they dropped their scowls.

Iggy spoke first. "You still seeing him?"

Mickey scoffs. "I'm not _seeing_ him."

"Good."

"I'm not _not_ seeing him either though."

"Jesus Christ, Mickey," Iggy huffs as he stands up, taking a step forward. "You can't trust him, he's a fanger!"

"He didn't do it!"

"I don't care!" Iggy shouts. He pauses, and then continues in a softer tone. "I don't care that he didn't do it, Mickey. I'm just - I'm fuckin' worried about you alright."

"Cut the big brother bullshit, Iggy."

"No, that's just it! I am your big brother! And I've never acted like it." Iggy glances at Colin and Mandy, then back at Mickey and proceeds. "Look, I know you've always been the one in charge of shit, and I get why you had to do it. Terry always beat on you the worst, probably because you reminded him of Mom, Mandy looks like her, but you act like her more. And I never did anything to stop it. But Mickey, Terry's not here anymore, you don't have to keep proving yourself to anyone. You don't have to keep taking care of us."

Mickey was taken aback. He'd never heard Iggy, or any of his siblings, speak this way before. "Iggy, that wasn't your fault - I…" he trails off, at a loss for words.

"Just promise me you'll be smart about this," Iggy pleads. "Promise me you'll be careful."

Mickey nods. "Yeah, I promise."

Iggy breathes a sigh of relief and it seemed like most of the tension in the room lifted. A calm silence settled briefly before Iggy spoke again. "Me and Colin have some other customers to see. Meet you at the diner, later?"

"Sure, man."

"Great!" Mandy chimes in an over zealous tone. "Friday night's always chicken parmesan!"

"Aw, fuck, I _love_ chicken parmesan!" Colin beams.

"Yeah, they serve real Italian cuisine at that shitty diner," Mickey quips.

"Better than anything I've ever had."

"C'mon, fuckhead," Iggy says, pulling Colin up by his shirt sleeve and towards the front door. "Later, you two."

"That went a lot better than expected," Mandy states. "What are you doing today?"

"Got a text from Ian last night. Supposed to go see some friend of his, fill me in on what's going on."

"You just told Iggy you'd be smart about this, Mick. Who is this _friend_?"

"She's human, alright, like we are," he replies defensively. "How dangerous can she be?"

* * *

><p>The first thing Mickey learned when he met Svetlana was that he should never underestimate her.<p>

When she answered the door, Svetlana held a large butcher knife in her hand and wore a mean look on her face. "I am making stroganov. You help?" she asks kindly.

The differences in her demeanor and tone of voice unnerved Mickey a bit. "Uh, ok."

Svetlana led Mickey to the kitchen where she had been cutting and preparing the beef. "You make sauce."

Mickey obeyed silently. He couldn't really get a read on Svetlana, and found that odd. And it pissed him off. At length, he spoke, "So, we gonna cook all day or you got some info for me?"

"Have you fucked him, or should I say, has he fucked you?"

Mickey blanched. "What?"

"Ian. Have you and he…" Svetlana made a crude gesture with the forefinger of her right hand and the forefinger and thumb in the shape of a circle of her left hand.

"Oh my god! No!"

"Is too soon, maybe," Svetlana continues. "He did not say much about you, but he likes you, I can tell."

Mickey ears reddened. "That's not why I'm here."

Svetlana nodded, deciding she's embarrassed Mickey enough for now. They finished cooking the stroganov as Svetlana told Mickey what Ian and Nika spoke about the night before, which was basically that they have no idea what is going on. This frustrated the hell out of Mickey. Not only were all their lives in danger, but they also still had no leads.

"Why the fuck did Ian even tell me to come her today if no one knows anything?" Mickey groaned.

"Probably wants you to babysit me," Svetlana answers as she and Mickey sit down to eat their stroganov. "Or maybe, he wants _me_ to babysit _you_. Perhaps both."

"I can take care of myself!" Mickey says defensively.

Svetlana's mouth curled into a fond smile as if recalling a treasured memory. "That is what I used to say."

"You knew Ian? I mean, from before… uh, how long?"

"Thought you say you did not come here for him?"

"Whatever," Mickey replies curtly.

This time Svetlana smiles in amusement at Mickey. She could see now why Ian liked him. Svetlana and Mickey - they're kind of alike. They both have _don't fuck with me_ attitudes, they're both unafraid of confrontation, they're both defensive as all hell, and neither of them put up with anyone's bullshit. Additionally, Mickey's a guy. Ian could never feel for Svetlana what he feels for Mickey; conversely Svetlana could never feel for Ian what she feels for Nika, so naturally Ian and Svetlana developed a strong friendship instead. Svetlana is snapped out of her reverie when Mickey asks her what the fuck has her grinning so much. Instead of answering him, she decides to answer his previous question.

"I met him when I was fifteen."

"Hm?"

"When I first came to this country from Russia" she continues. "When my mother died, my father sent me here. Sold me to pimp for three hundred dollars."

"Jesus Christ!" Mickey swore. The way Svetlana was so casually discussing her grim past disturbed Mickey. "Your dad sold you into prostitution when you were fuckin' fifteen years old?!"

"Apparently he wanted money more than he wanted me."

"Jesus…" Mickey repeats.

Svetlana goes on. "I met Ian only first month I was here. I was very lucky. He took me and other girls away. He saved us, like some fucking hero."

"Why are you still hookin' then if he _saved_ you?"

"And who do you think would hire group of teenage girls who speak little English and have no IDs, no legal papers of any kind?"

"Alright, alright, I get your point. Ian has money though, and your girlfriend?"

"I do not want to burden them," Svetlana answers simply. "Would you let Ian support you that way?"

This earned Svetlana a scowl.

"Didn't think so."

No, Svetlana certainly isn't someone to be underestimated, Mickey thought again. She had experienced a lot in her short life, and despite it all, she was still here. Mickey thinks that's pretty admirable. He could see it in her face, the strength Svetlana possesses. Being forced to grow up too quickly, the years of enduring one tribulation after another, creating an impenetrable fortress around her emotions. He understands now why Ian likes her. Mickey and Svetlana - they're kind of alike. Mickey chuckles to himself and is broken from his thoughts when Svetlana scrunches her eyebrows at him, probably wondering what the hell is so funny. Though, Mickey doesn't answer.

"You're not _nearly_ as bad as I thought you'd be," he finally admits.

Svetlana gives a curt laugh. "You are definitely as bad as I thought you'd be."

"Fuck you," Mickey replies without much bite.

Mickey spends a significant amount of time at Svetlana's apartment after they finished eating. They don't talk much after their initial conversation, except for when Svetlana complains to Mickey that Ian and Nika want her to get a _real_ job until this whole vampire mess is sorted out, but they find they kind of don't mind each other's company. And Mickey's sure he prefers this over dealing. It's not the act itself he minds, just the dumbass customers he has to deal with, so he stays longer than he intended to. He mostly just idly watches television, switching back and forth between channels while Svetlana looks through the newspaper for work and calls the other sex workers about keeping it on the down low for a while. Around five Mickey announces he's leaving.

"You do not want to wait for Ian?" Svetlana asks, a sly grin playing on her mouth.

Admittedly, that's the reason he's leaving, but Mickey doesn't say as much. "No," he answers simply.

Svetlana looks unconvinced.

It's not that he doesn't want to see Ian, he just doesn't know how the hell to act around the vampire, and he'd rather not make an ass of himself in front of Svetlana.

"Can't, gotta meet my brothers and sister for dinner," he clarifies. That's not a lie, but when they eat dinner at the diner they usually meet at seven. So what if Mickey's a little early? With that, Mickey leaves Svetlana's apartment. "Later," he calls out over his shoulder.

Svetlana doesn't respond. She shakes her head amusingly as she watches him go.

* * *

><p>Mickey tries to take the longest route he knows to the diner, forgoing the L and just taking bus after bus. He still arrives at the diner half an hour earlier than his brothers. Mickey spots his sister taking an order from some college kids in a booth.<p>

"Hey, you still workin'?" Mickey asks, walking up and interrupting his sister. "Thought you were off earlier today."

Mandy finishes scribbling down the order before she acknowledges Mickey. "Kelly's still sick apparently," she answers as she wipes down and clears another booth for her brother. "Why are you so early?"

"Just… got bored hanging around Ian's friend, Svetlana."

Mandy gave her brother a knowing glance. "Ah, right."

Mickey rolls his eyes and sits at the booth.

"You gonna order anything or you gonna wait for Iggy and Colin?"

Mickey shrugs. "Guess I'll wait." He wasn't that hungry anyways. The stroganov he and Svetlana made was really good.

* * *

><p>Iggy and Colin finally arrive a few minutes after seven. They find their brother easily and join him at the booth. Mandy has just finished her extra shift and brings them their food.<p>

"Fuck, I'm beat," Mandy says tiredly as she dives into her food. "When the fuck do you guys start working?"

"Me and Iggy start at that construction job tomorrow," Colin answers.

"About fucking time. I can't be the only one with a steady paycheck." Mandy then turns to Mickey, who's sitting beside her. "What about you? It was _your_ idea to go legit."

"Relax, I got that job at that warehouse remember? Don't gotta start for a couple days."

"Jesus, look at us," Iggy says with a laugh. "Making an honest living."

"That's the point. We're respectable now," Mickey jokes, pretending to adjust a tie.

His brothers and sister laugh. And Mickey laughs. This feels good. This feels _happy_. Mickey can't remember the last time he felt this way. He wonders if he ever has.

"Oh, hey," Mandy says, snapping Mickey out of his thoughts. "I never asked you what Ian's friend had to say."

This shifts the mood slightly.

Iggy tenses as if he's about to go into big brother mode like he did this morning. He looks up at Mickey. "You saw Ian today?"

"No." _What's with people thinking vampires can walk around during the fuckin' day_, Mickey wonders. "How the fuck can vampires walk in sunlight? I just met up with some hooker friend of his, Svetlana. I left before he got up. I said I would be smart about it, and I was."

Iggy nods, satisfied with his brother's answer.

"So, what'd she say?" Colin prompts.

"Fuckin' nothin'. She and Ian and her vampire girlfriend don't have a fuckin' clue what's going on."

"Well, that can't be good," Mandy responds grimly.

The Milkovich siblings are interrupted by the bell on the front door sounding as it opens.

Ian walks in, he sees Mickey, and Mickey sees him. He glances at Mickey's siblings. Mandy looks a bit more welcoming than last night, he's unsure about Mickey's brothers though. He decides not to confront them and silently takes a seat at the counter. A waitress approaches him and asks for his order.

"Bottle of Tru Blood, if you have any," he says warily.

The waitress looks up from her notepad. "You mean, you're a…"

"A vampire," Ian finishes for her.

"Wow. I mean… wow," the waitress stumbles over herself. "Uh, my name's Sonia. Maybe after my shift we can go back to my place?"

Ian's used to this, girls practically throwing themselves at him for being what he is. If he were in Boys' Town, the guys would be just as bad. It's grown old and tiresome, but he's still nice about letting Sonia down. He smiles kindly at her and answers, "Sorry, you're not exactly my type."

"And what is your type?" Sonia asks playfully.

"Someone with a Y chromosome."

"Oh…" Sonia responds dryly. "Well, that sucks."

Ian chuckles. "I'm sorry."

"No, no, It's fine I guess," Sonia assures him. "I'll get you your bottle of Tru Blood. All we have is O positive, that alright with you?"

"Sure."

Sonia turns around to get Ian his drink, her brunette curls bouncing as she walks off.

Ian notices the Milkoviches still eyeing him from across the room and returns their stare. His gaze lands back on Mickey of course. He misses those precious blue orbs and wishes he could get a closer look at them. Ian looks away once more when Sonia returns with his bottle of synthetic blood, warmed up to a perfect ninety-eight point six degrees. He takes a sip and grimaces. It tastes like shit.

Back at the booth, Mickey can't seem to ignore Ian. He keeps looking back and forth between the vampire and his empty plate. Mandy and his brothers are staring too, their eyes shifting between Ian and Mickey. Mandy decides this is ridiculous and speaks up.

"Oh, jesus, just go over there already," she says to her brother.

"What for?"

"Just go, Mickey," Iggy interrupts.

Mickey looks at Iggy incredulously.

"Seriously, go."

"Alright, fine," Mickey concedes and turns to Mandy. "Let me out, douchebag."

Mandy sticks her tongue out at her brother but does as he asks.

Ian doesn't look over at Mickey when he notices the human walking towards him. He still doesn't look at him when Mickey takes the stool next to him.

Mickey pinches the bridge of his nose anxiously before addressing Ian. "Hey."

The corners of Ian's mouth turn up slightly. _Mickey's so bad at this_, he thinks. But he also thinks it's pretty cute. "Are you allowed to be here?"

Mickey clicks his tongue. "They're fine with it."

Now, Ian turns to Mickey. He gives him a doubtful look.

"Alright, they're not exactly on board or whatever. Mandy seems more ok with it though."

Ian nods and takes another sip of his drink.

"How'd you know I was here?" Mickey asks. "I didn't tell Svetlana what diner I'd be at."

Ian smiles a little sheepishly this time as Mickey clearly knows Ian was looking for him. "I took a guess," he says simply. Ian sees that Mickey isn't completely satisfied with that answer so he continues. "My family and I used to come here a lot when I was human. Fiona, my sister, oldest out of all of us, she worked here as a waitress. It was a cheesy little fifties joint back then. Checkered tiled floor, records on the walls, and a jukebox in the corner. It was real popular though. They had really good burgers, as best as I can remember what burgers taste like anyways. I just figured if you were at a diner, it'd be this one. From the looks of this place, it seems to still be doing pretty good."

Mickey watches Ian in silence for a moment. The nostalgia in his voice was beguiling. He could practically feel himself being transported back in time. He could see Mandy working here in a fifties diner uniform, a small paper cap on her head. He could see her having a huge crush on James Dean. Fuck, he could see himself having a huge crush on James Dean. He's sure Ian probably did too. Everyone loves James Dean.

He's remained silent for too long and finally answers Ian. "It's alright."

Ian smiles again. He brings the bottle of Tru Blood up to his lips and takes another drink.

Mickey catches the slight twitch in Ian's face when he sips his synthetic blood. "Does that not taste any good?"

"Fuck no."

"Then why are you drinking it?"

"I don't like to feed from humans unless it's been a while, or if I really need to."

"Like the other night?"

"Yeah," Ian answers. "Yeah, that definitely counts."

Another short silence passes over them before Ian continues. "So, how was Svetlana?"

Mickey snorts. "You got some fuckin' weird friends."

"Lana's just been around vampires a long time. First with me, then with Nika. Nika, she's my vampire sister."

"Vampire sister?" Mickey asks with a raised eyebrow.

"We weren't related or anything like that. We have the same maker," Ian clarifies. "She's a lot older than I am though."

"And how old are you?"

"Compared to most vampires, I'm actually still pretty young. Just seventy-eight, but I was human for the first eighteen years."

"You're almost eighty?" Mickey asks astonishingly.

Ian laughs nervously. "Yeah…"

"You should be like, grey-haired and wrinkled and shit."

"Are you complaining?" Ian asks cheekily.

Mickey doesn't answer, just bites his bottom lip as he looks Ian up and down. No, he's definitely not complaining.

Before they can continue to flirt, Mickey's siblings are approaching them. Iggy and Colin wait by the door while Mandy goes to fetch her brother. She taps him on the shoulder lightly.

"Sorry to interrupt," she says casually before turning to Ian. "Hey, Ian," she greets in an overly flirtatious tone as Mickey rolls his eyes.

It definitely seems like Mandy has changed her tune about her brother hanging out with a vampire.

"Mandy," Ian says, shining a megawatt smile. "You look pretty tonight."

Mickey resists from rolling his eyes again because he's sure if he does, they'll roll right out of his skull. _Are these two serious right now_, he thinks. Not that he doesn't think Mandy looks good, but she's his sister. He's obligated to think she looks beautiful no matter if she's wearing a cocktail dress, or pajamas, or skinny jeans and a t-shirt like she's sporting now.

"You're not so bad yourself."

"Ok, that's enough," Mickey interrupts. "We're going."

"Jealous, Mick?" Mandy inquires with a sly grin.

Mickey knows he has to put a stop to whatever's happening here. An alliance between Mandy and Ian? No way, no fucking way. It'll be his utter ruin. He rises from his seat and ushers Mandy to the door, giving Ian an apologetic look and awkward wave goodbye.

Ian watches them go with a comical grin. He forces himself to finish the Tru Blood he ordered before calling it an early evening.

* * *

><p>The following night, Ian and Mickey hang out at the diner again while Mickey waits for Mandy to finish another late shift. The mood is lighter, conversation comes more easily and they're laughing at each other's lame jokes and stories. Mickey's telling Ian of the time some jackass store clerk shot him in the knee over a fucking Snickers bar. Apparently the guy had enough of Mickey's thievery and pulled a gun on him. The cops eventually showed up and hauled his ass off to juvie after his knee was fixed up at the hospital. He tells Ian about how he came <em>this<em> close to stabbing one of the guys in juvie who kept trying to steal his jello.

"And some snooty housewives paid that clerk a visit and actually offered to throw him a fuckin' parade."

Ian's roaring with laughter, and even throws his head back at Mickey's story. His laugh is contagious, and soon Mickey is laughing right along with the ginger vampire.

Ian and Mandy hit it off pretty well too, just like Mickey thought they would. The duo constantly gain up on him through out the night. Mickey's heard bad things come in threes, but he's certain it's twos. Mandy tells Ian about the nail polish incident. Mickey flicks his drink at her with a straw to make her go away. Before she does, she flips him off. Ian chuckles at the way Mickey and Mandy interact. He remembers his own brothers and sisters, and his smile wavers.

"Hey, you alright?" Mickey asks when he sees Ian isn't smiling anymore.

"Yeah," Ian reassures. "I was just thinking about my own siblings."

"You miss them?"

"More than anything."

Mickey furrows his brows a bit. Ian hasn't said much about his siblings but when he does he talks about them as if they're dead. Mickey supposes that's not such a stretch. Ian himself is much older than he looks. But Mickey sees a pang in Ian's face too. Whatever happened to Ian's family, they didn't just die of old age. There's a dark, harrowing story hidden behind Ian's emerald eyes. Mickey doesn't press him for information though. He's a bit put off by how quickly Ian recovers, concealing his sadness with a bright smile.

"You and Mandy seem pretty close," Ian mentions.

"Yeah," Mickey answers. "We all are."

"That's good."

* * *

><p>The night after that, Mickey's on his way to the diner. The vampire, or vampires, who killed Darrel and his crew still at large. But since then, there haven't been any other killings. Ian offers that maybe it really was just a coincidence. Maybe they were all just jumping to conclusions and nothing more. Mickey hopes as much. He's dragged out of his thoughts when his phone rings.<p>

"Hey," he answers Mandy. "I'm just on my way."

"Actually, you don't have to come by tonight," she informs. "Iggy and Colin stopped by after work. I'll go home with them."

"Alright. How was their second day?"

"They're tired as hell but they'll survive." Mandy pauses briefly before continuing. "You know, since you have the night off from myself maybe you could see what Ian's up to. Maybe even spend some time together - _alone_."

"Why don't you just come out and say I should fuck him?"

"Ok, you should fuck him."

"Goodbye, douchebag," Mickey replies curtly as he hangs up before Mandy can say anything further.

Mickey stops in his tracks and thinks for a moment. He shoots off a text to Ian and starts in a different direction.

* * *

><p>Ian wakes up to a text from Mickey, and smiles.<p>

_"meet me at the alibi"_

Ian doesn't know why, but he takes a while to get dressed. Should he wear lighter jeans with a t-shirt, or skinny jeans with a tight fitting shirt, or dark jeans with a button up? He decides his first choice is too informal, and that anything with his skinny jeans or a tight shirt is too obvious, and anything with a buttoned shirt is too dressy. He ends up wearing a pair of dark jeans, a grey shirt with a black and white plaid one over it, and casual shoes. Ian makes sure his hair is perfect, slicking it back with just the right amount of product. He doesn't know why he's making such a big deal out of this. It's not like this is a date or anything. Actually, Ian hopes that's exactly what this is.

As soon as he's ready, he's out the door. He speeds towards the Alibi but then realizes he might seem too eager if he shows up within minutes of receiving Mickey's text, so he walks back and forth on the street across from the bar for a while longer. When he thinks enough time has passed, Ian walks into the bar.

Mickey is sitting in one of the booths towards the back. The beer he ordered is already half finished and he's on his third cigarette. He's anxious as hell. Immediately after texting Ian, he realized he kind of just asked the vampire out on a date. And it's not like he could cancel his last minute plans anyway. That'd be like rejecting Ian, and he didn't want to do that. So, Mickey forces himself to go through with the impromptu affair. It doesn't take much effort though. He is fairly excited if he's quite honest with himself.

When Ian and Mickey meet each other's gaze, it's like the whole world falls away, leaving only the two of them. There's a gravitational field around Mickey and it's pulling Ian in. Ian doesn't dare fight it. He gives in happily and struts over to the booth Mickey is seated at and sits opposite of the human. He sees Mickey has ordered him a bottle of Tru Blood. Ian takes it courteously.

"I know you don't like it, I was just… trying to be nice I guess," Mickey says. "You don't have to drink it if you don't want to."

"No, it's ok. I haven't fed yet. Thanks." Ian feels obligated to drink it, but he is hungry as well, so he accepts the synthetic beverage. As he brings the bottle up to his lips, his eyes zero in on Mickey's throat, a thick muscle throbbing as Mickey sips his own drink. Ian wonders what Mickey's blood tastes like, and the thought immediately goes straight to his dick, making him half hard. He can feel the tips of his fangs protruding but manages to keep them retracted.

Mickey is unaware of the silence that's fallen over him and Ian. He's unaware of Ian's studious gaze because Mickey's too caught up in his own scrutinization. _Fuck, Ian looks good_, he thinks. It's clear Ian considers whatever this is to be a date based on the effort he put into his appearance tonight. Now Mickey's thinking he should've gone home and changed first. Not that he thinks he looks bad, and not because he wants to impress Ian or anything. Mickey can feel the tightness in his jeans steadily growing the longer he stares at the vampire.

"So, why'd you wanna meet here?" Ian asks, breaking them out of their silence.

"Mandy's with my brothers, and I, uh…" Mickey struggles to come up with an answer. "I just didn't wanna go home yet."

"Oh."

"This isn't a date."

Ian's face splits into the smuggest grin Mickey has ever seen. "Alright."

"It's not!"

"I said alright."

"Yeah, but you don't believe that," Mickey points out. Mickey's not sure he does either.

"Does it matter?" Ian counters. "We're both still here, why not enjoy our time?"

"Whatever," Mickey replies passively.

Ian thinks for a moment, contemplating just how far Mickey wants this to go. He decides to take his chances. "In fact, we could enjoy our time elsewhere."

Mickey's heart beats faster and his mouth goes dry. He downs the last of his beer, eyes never leaving Ian.

"Wanna come back to my place?"

Mickey sets down his empty glass with a _clink_ before answering.

"Ok."

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong> Aaaand that's where I'm ending it because I am pure evil. *cackles*


	5. If Love Exists, I Will Fall

**Chapter 5: If Love Exists, I Will Fall**

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong> Title from the song Moment by Aiden  
><em>Visit me in hell tonight and say<em>  
><em>If love exists, I will fall<em>

* * *

><p>"You want a beer?" Ian asks when he and Mickey arrive at the vampire's home.<p>

"Yeah," Mickey answers quickly. There's no way he's drunk enough for this right now, and he knows a second beer won't be enough to get him there but he figures it's better than nothing at all.

As Ian goes into the kitchen, Mickey takes in his surroundings. There's more furniture and pictures and tchotchkes about. He presumes Ian must have had more of his things brought here from wherever he moved because none of this stuff looks new. Mickey walks over to the mantelpiece above the fireplace where various photos are displayed.

Ian comes back with a beer in hand and passes it to Mickey.

"Thanks," Mickey says sand takes a sip. "Why do you have beer anyways?"

"For company, duh."

Mickey rolls his eyes.

"Though, the only people who've been here so far are a bunch of movers, and you and your brothers. Lana and Nika haven't even been here yet."

Mickey nods in acknowledgement before speaking again. "Are these…"

"My brothers and sisters," Ian says, looking to where Mickey points with the beer bottle. He takes the center photo into his hands, it's one of the few pictures he has where they're all together, and points each of his siblings out to Mickey. "That's Fiona, the oldest, and more like a mother than a sister. No one ever took better care of us than she did. That's my older brother Lip. For someone so smart, he was dumb as shit sometimes. And my younger siblings, Debbie and Carl. Debbie and I were in the middle, and the only ones who looked related. Debbie was really entrepreneurial, she ran a daycare for the neighborhood kids every summer. Carl liked to blow shit up, and I'm sure he would've become a stunt man or something. He and Lip would get together sometimes and design all this weird mechanical shit just so they could destroy it in the end. And baby Liam. Now, I know what you're thinking, and no, he's not a half-sibling. Turns out, _I_ was the illegitimate lovechild in the family. Monica, our mother, had an affair with one of Frank's brothers. Frank was a shit anyways, and for all his money, Clayton didn't amount to much either. And Monica, well she was never really around."

Mickey doesn't know how to process all the information he's just been given. He tries to remain silent but eventually erupts in laughter.

"What?" Ian exclaims.

"Jesus, I thought _my_ family was a nightmare."

"My family wasn't a nightmare!"

Mickey raises a speculative eyebrow at Ian.

"Ok, maybe my parents were. And well, my siblings and I weren't the fuckin' Brady Bunch or anything but…" Ian trails off. "Shit, I guess we really were a nightmare sometimes," he concedes with a laugh. "They were great though. What about _you_? You're family's not picture perfect."

"Fuck, it sure feels that way sometimes. You weren't around when Terry beat the shit out of us just for breathing wrong."

"That bad, huh?"

"Doesn't matter. He fucked off when I came out. Mandy pulled a gun on him, turns out there weren't even any bullets in it."

"Your sister continues to scare the shit out of me," Ian admits. "What about your mom?"

"She died when I was ten. They said it was an overdose, but she never did any drugs. I don't know, sometimes I don't wanna believe she killed herself. She wasn't like that."

"What was she like?"

"Kind of like your sister Fiona, I guess. She always did the best she could."

A heavy silence falls over the vampire and human, both wondering what's got them so chatty about their fucked up pasts.

"Uh, so do you wanna watch something?" Ian asks abruptly. "Still early."

"What do you got?" Mickey replies, taking another swig of his beer and sitting on the couch.

"_Rebel Without A Cause_ ok with you?" Ian asks as he goes through his DVDs.

Well, that confirms Mickey's suspicion about Ian's crush on James Dean. "You like James Dean?"

"Doesn't everyone?" Ian replies playfully as he pops the dvd in and takes a seat next to Mickey.

* * *

><p>They watch most of the movie without saying a word. They're content with just being in each other's presence.<p>

Towards the end though, both Ian and Mickey start fidgeting a bit in their seats. Ian peeks at Mickey through his peripheral vision, and Mickey glances at Ian when he thinks the vampire isn't looking.

Finally, Ian turns to face Mickey before he speaks. "Mickey…"

"Hm?"

"I really like you," Ian blurts out.

Mickey's eyes snap towards Ian.

"I know the way we met was really fucked up. And I'm not even gonna _begin_ to go into how so many vampire-human relationships never work out, but I like you. And I _think_ you like me, otherwise you wouldn't be here…"

Ian's rambling now. Mickey let's him, he kind of likes it. He wonders how he's going to get this vampire to shut the hell up. And actually, Mickey knows exactly how. He's not fond of kissing, but it's all he can think of doing right now. It's all he _wants_ to do. So without warning, Mickey surges forward and presses his lips to Ian.

Ian's eyes go wide. Neither of them close their eyes, both surprised, and maybe even a little bit shocked, that this is even really happening. Then Mickey pulls back, only a few centimeters from the vampire.

"You really need to shut up and get on me."

Mickey's husky voice makes Ian go hard almost instantly. _Of course Mickey's a bottom_, he thinks. Ian doesn't respond, only crashes their lips together again. Before he knows it, the movie ends and he and Mickey are making out on the couch like a couple of high school kids. He feels Mickey tugging at his clothes and removes his shirts immediately as Mickey does the same. Ian catches Mickey's mouth again and leans forward until Mickey is on his back with Ian on top of him.

Mickey isn't sure what's going on. He hates kissing, or he thought he did anyway. But he's letting Ian's tongue inside his mouth, and he _likes_ it. He wants more, he _needs_ more. He darts out his own tongue, desperately trying to taste as much of Ian as he can. The vampire moves on to kissing along Mickey's jaw and neck. He slowly licks a wet trail up Mickey's neck muscle while grinding his pelvis down. Mickey shudders and allows a low moan to escape his parted lips.

"Upstairs…" Mickey breathes out shakily.

Ian is off him at once and dragging Mickey up the stairs. Once they make it to the main bedroom, they discard themselves of the rest of their clothing as quickly as possible. It doesn't escape Mickey that Ian's dick is bigger than he'd thought it'd be, and it's too difficult not to stare.

"Fuck…"

Ian flashes that devilish grin of his before he's swiftly hovering over Mickey again. Mickey can tell Ian likes to use his vampiric speed in bed, and he wonders what that'll feel like once the vampire is inside him. Ian kisses Mickey again, almost chastely, before he begins kissing down Mickey's torso. Mickey's already a mess. If Ian can get him going this much this quickly, he's not sure how long he'll last. Mickey doesn't dwell on the thought though, because he can't, because Ian is dragging his tongue along the underside of Mickey's dick, and Mickey thinks it's a miracle he didn't come from that alone. And then Ian's mouth is firmly wrapped around him, taking him as deep as he can. He throws his head back against the bed and grasps at Ian's fiery red hair, his dull nails scraping the vampire's scalp a bit.

"Stop teasing me, fuck," Mickey complains. Not that he doesn't like how attentive Ian is, but if the term _power bottom_ were in the dictionary there'd be a picture of Mickey Milkovich next to it.

"So bossy," Ian says, releasing Mickey's dick with a smack of his lips. "Turn over."

Mickey does, and Ian coats a few fingers with his own saliva and slips one into Mickey. Ian slides it in and out a few times before he adds another finger. When Mickey starts to thrust backwards, Ian adds a third, stretching Mickey out real good.

"Ah, fuck. What did I just say, Gallagher?"

Ian laughs, and promptly removes his fingers from Mickey's ass. He's about to press into the human when Mickey stops him.

"Hey, wait, hold up," Mickey says over his shoulder.

"Fuck," Ian huffs. "What? You're the one being pushy."

"Don't you have any… uh, I mean, aren't you gonna wear a condom?" Mickey asks awkwardly.

Ian furrows his brow. "Oh…"

"What?" Mickey asks as he turns around and sits in front of Ian, some of the magic in the moment lost.

"I just hadn't thought about it."

"Why the hell not?"

"I'm a vampire, you're a human. Vampires can't catch or pass anything to each other, and well, you can't pass anything to me other than Hep D," Ian clarifies. "_Do_ you have Hep D?"

"Fuck no, I don't have Hep D or whatever the fuck that is!"

"But you still want me to wear one?"

"Well, yeah."

"Alright," Ian answers simply. "You better fucking have one though because I don't, and I am not letting you leave here tonight until I fuck you."

Ian's candid response has Mickey hard again. "Wallet in my jeans," he answers. "Surprised you gave in so easily."

Ian is quick to retrieve the condom. "I'm not gonna make do anything you don't want to, Mickey."

Mickey smiles despite his best efforts not to and even chuckles. "Fuckin' boy scout."

"What, have guys actually passed up having sex with you just because they didn't wanna wear a rubber?"

"A few have, yeah."

Ian takes out a bottle of lube from a dresser drawer and is swiftly back on top of Mickey. He rolls the condom on and slicks himself up.

"Well, that's their loss, isn't it?"

Mickey thinks he should tell Ian he doesn't fuck face to face, but then he feels Ian pressing inside him and all his protests vanish. Ian's fangs finally extract when he bottoms out. He's been willing them to stay hidden until now, a painful task, but he didn't want to frighten Mickey. They don't scare Mickey, though he does look a little surprised. He'd almost forgotten Ian is a vampire for a minute there.

"Sorry," Ian apologizes. "They do that when, y'know… I can't control it much."

Mickey nods. He reaches up to Ian's mouth curiously and rubs a thumb over one of Ian's fangs. He cradles Ian's chin for a moment before moving his hand to the back of Ian's neck and pulls him down into a rough kiss, his teeth bumping into Ian's extended canines. He withdraws his mouth from Ian's and tightens his legs around the vampire's waist.

"Move, _now_."

Ian doesn't need to be told twice. He pulls out of Mickey slowly and slams back into him a few times, then begins a steady pace. He nips along Mickey's throat and collarbone, careful not to break skin. Mickey clutches onto Ian's back. He can feel Ian's taut muscles beneath his fingers. He tries to make as little sound as possible, but the harder he tries to hold back his cries, the harder Ian tries to elicit them. It's as if every gasp and moan motivates Ian further. It's as if Ian has known Mickey's body all his life, touching him, kissing him, fucking him exactly how Mickey likes it. And it's driving Mickey _wild_. His head is thrown back and his eyes are shut unbearably tight, tears just begging to fall because Ian's dick is doing things to him he never knew existed.

Mickey feels Ian pull away, propping himself up with his hands on either side of Mickey. And then Mickey remembers why he never fucks face to face. When he opens his eyes, Ian is looking down at him. Their gaze locks, and something inside Mickey falls to pieces. There's a burning in his chest and his stomach is in knots, and if he doesn't come soon he's certain he'll just about die. Mickey reaches down to pump his cock, aching for release. Ian sits up on his shins, and Mickey instinctively wraps an arm around Ian's neck as he's dragged onto Ian's lap. Ian fucks up into Mickey, meeting each of his thrusts and hitting his prostate with expert precision.

"Ah, fuck, Mickey… you feel so good," he whispers into Mickey's ear. Ian latches onto Mickey's neck again.

"Do it," Mickey gasps.

Ian pulls away immediately to look at Mickey. "What?"

"Do it," Mickey repeats. "Bite me."

Ian shakes his head. "No, I don't wanna hurt you."

"Please, Ian…"

And the way Ian's name falls from Mickey's lips coupled with Mickey's begging compels Ian to yield. He licks at the curve of Mickey's neck, locating a vein. Ian opens his mouth and sinks his fangs into Mickey as gently as he can. As soon as Ian's fangs pierce his flesh, Mickey comes hard in his hand. He moans loudly through the blend of pain and pleasure. Ian is on top of him again. He throws one of Mickey's legs over his shoulder, chasing his own orgasm while still attached to Mickey's neck. In a matter of seconds, Ian reaches his climax and frees Mickey's neck to groan through out his own release. Ian lets Mickey's leg fall back down, but he doesn't pull out yet.

Two rivulets of blood are running along Mickey's neck and Ian is nice enough to clean them off with his tongue. Ian withdraws when he's finished, and Mickey meets his eyes once more. There's blood trickling down the right corner of Ian's mouth but Mickey finds he doesn't give a shit. He brings the vampire down into a passionate kiss, tasting the iron on Ian's lips. Ian finally pulls out, slowly, and Mickey practically whimpers at the emptiness. Ian flops down on his back beside Mickey, tossing the condom into the trash and handing Mickey some tissue paper to clean his hand off.

A few silent moments pass, both their breathing steadily returning to normal. Mickey is the first to speak.

"What the _fuck_ was that?"

Ian huffs out a laugh. "I believe that was sex, Mickey."

"No, I've had sex before. That wasn't sex, that was a goddamn fucking _religious experience!_"

Ian's face splits into a wide grin before he erupts in a fit of laughter.

"Why are you laughing at me, jackass?"

"I'm not - I'm not laughing at you," Ian manages to get out. "I… I just think you're cute is all."

"Fuck you, I'm not cute."

"You're fucking adorable actually."

Mickey playfully shoves at Ian's shoulder before he rolls over on his side to get out of the bed, but then realizes he's way too fucked out for such a feat. He rolls onto his back again and sighs contently in his afterglow. Ian turns to face Mickey and props himself up on an elbow.

"You can stay if you want," he offers as if he can read Mickey's thoughts.

"Alright," Mickey grumbles.

"I can't though."

Mickey raises an eyebrow in question.

"I don't sleep here, I sleep in the basement."

"Was wondering where you were during the day."

"Yeah, underground just feels… I don't know. I wouldn't mind being up here if there was, like UV protection on the windows or something."

Now it's Mickey's turn to laugh. "I get it, it's fine."

"I'll stay with you though, until you fall asleep."

"Such a fuckin' boy scout…" Mickey says softly as he closes his eyes.

Ian smiles and lays back down closer to Mickey. He intertwines a leg between Mickey's and slings his arm over Mickey's chest.

_Of course he likes to fuckin' cuddle_, Mickey thinks. But he's too tired to care, and Ian's cool skin feels pretty good against his.

"Feel free to take a shower in the morning," Ian murmurs.

Mickey only grunts in response.

"Mickey…"

"What?"

"Night."

Mickey doesn't respond, only strokes Ian's hair until he feels himself falling asleep.

* * *

><p>When Mickey wakes up, he forgets where he is for a moment. He sits up abruptly, looking around the room he's in and then remembers he got the dicking of a lifetime last night, courtesy of a vampire by the name of Ian Gallagher. He remembers the way Ian looked at him, through his hooded eyes, dark and lustful yet tender and affectionate. He's never seen that expression on anyone before. The memory is enough to make him half hard again. And Mickey remembers he not only let Ian bite him, he actually asked, <em>pleaded<em>, for it. He reaches up to the left side of his neck with his opposite hand and can feel two fresh wounds there. Then he remembers the sheets he slept in are fucking filthy and he should really take a shower.

Without bothering to put on his boxers, he heads to the bathroom. He catches his reflection in the mirror and can see a bit of dried blood on his neck and mouth. He scratches at it. He thinks it should maybe gross him out, but it doesn't. Mickey thinks that's weird.

Mickey turns the shower on and waits for the water to get warm before stepping in. He stands still briefly, letting the water run on his pale skin. He's never spent the night with someone before, and he's certainly never let anyone spend the night with him. And ok, Ian left for the basement so it's not like they _really_ spent the night together. Still, Mickey is a bit disconcerted by how easily he crumbled last night. _Maybe Ian's dick is just that good_, he thinks. And it really is, but more than Ian's dick, and more than his bite, Mickey can't stop thinking about the way Ian looked at him, how Ian's always looking at him. And now Mickey's getting that same burning feeling in his chest again.

He decides he's clean enough and gets out of the shower, reaching for one of the towels hung on the door and wrapping it around his waist. He returns to the bedroom and realizes he doesn't have any clean clothes to wear - just one of the reasons he's been against staying over someone else's place until now. Whatever, he needs something to wear so he opens a dresser drawer. He finds a folded piece of paper.

_Wear the blue shirt._  
><em>- Ian<em>

_Fucking arrogant vampire_, Mickey thinks. And because Mickey's stubborn as hell, he tries on a grey shirt, then a red one. They're both too big, and he realizes that the only thing Ian has in this dresser that will fit him is the fucking blue shirt. He tries it on, and of course it fits him perfectly. It's dark, but kind of faded, it's probably an older shirt. He doesn't like that it still has sleeves. Then Mickey realizes he needs a clean pair of boxers but there's no way he's going to borrow underwear from Ian too, so he decides to go commando.

Mickey reaches into his pocket for his phone. There's a few missed texts and calls from his siblings. They're mostly from Mandy, asking if he got lucky with the vampire. There's a couple from his brothers, asking if he's ok. And now Mickey feels crappy for making them worry. He forwards a text to all three of them letting them know he's fine. He doesn't answer Mandy's questions about getting lucky. Then Mickey notices the time.

_8:30 am_

His shift at the warehouse starts at nine. He's going to be late for his first day of work. _Fuck_.

He doesn't want to leave a bunch of dirty sheets on Ian's bed though, so he's quick to throw them in the washing machine. They'll remain there for the day but at least they'll be clean. Once he's done that, he heads out the door.

* * *

><p>Mickey grabs a cup of coffee on the way to work. Not one from the diner Mandy works at, he's avoiding his siblings as much as possible for the day. He finishes it as soon as he gets to his job.<p>

He walks into the warehouse from the side entrance and finds his boss. Jorge is big and fat and mean. He sporting a dark tan from working in the summer sun, and his face always looks like he's pissed off. He kind of reminds Mickey of Terry. So when Mickey was able to land this job, he was pretty surprised, and thankful. And he did _not_ want to get on Jorge's bad side on his first day.

"Cuttin' it pretty close, Milkovich," Jorge greets gruffly.

"I'm still on time," Mickey points out.

"Barely." Jorge's eyes center on Mickey's neck.

Mickey immediately goes red with embarrassment when he realizes where Jorge's looking. He's pretty sure Jorge knows he's gay, not that Mickey ever told him, but no one really keeps their mouth shut in the south side. However, Mickey has no idea how Jorge feels about vampires, and when he applied for this job, it never occurred to Mickey he should care how anyone felt about them.

Jorge doesn't say anything though. He shows Mickey where he can leave his things, though Mickey didn't bring anything with him except his wallet and phone, and he's not gonna leave either of those things in a flimsy ass locker with a shitty lock. Then Jorge tosses a uniform shirt at Mickey to wear over his own. It's also blue but it's a bit lighter, and it has a collar. Mickey turns it up to hide the marks on his neck.

Then Mickey gets to work. Trucks come and go with boxes upon boxes of items that are probably not as interesting as most people think. There's a lot of loading and unloading, packing and unpacking, and storing, and moving. It's hard, laborious work but Mickey's pretty good at it, and he needs to be since the job pays well too.

At the end of the day, Mickey is feeling tired, but good. Things went well his first day despite almost being late. He hopes he's proven himself to Jorge. Mickey goes to clock out when Jorge approaches him and hands him a check.

"What's this?" Mickey asks, almost snapping at Jorge.

"It's a check for the work you did today."

And then Mickey does snap. "Are you fucking kidding me? I wasn't even late!"

"That's not why I'm letting you go," Jorge replies simply. "I don't employ vampire fuckers."

It takes all the strength Mickey possesses to not knock Jorge on his fat ass. "Fuck you! You don't have to fire me, I fuckin' quit!"

As Mickey walks away, Jorge mutters under his breath, "Fuckin' fangbanger…"

Mickey doesn't know why, but Jorge's parting words set him off. He turns around and delivers a strong blow to Jorge's nose. Jorge falls back, clutching his face in agony. There's blood streaming down onto his shirt and he's swearing up a storm at Mickey, still he doesn't get up to retaliate. His nose is most definitely broken. The scene is drawing attention and a few of the other workers are now making their way towards Mickey and Jorge. It's now time for Mickey to leave.

* * *

><p>Instead of heading for the diner, Mickey returns to Ian's house. He doesn't bother knocking on the door and just lets himself inside. He finds Ian is already up and in the kitchen. He's just opened a bottle of Tru Blood after putting his sheets in the dryer.<p>

"Hey-"

Mickey cuts him off by pressing their lips together in a similar fashion from the night before.

Ian pulls away with a grin on his face. "Hello to you too."

Mickey doesn't reply. Instead he pushes Ian against the kitchen sink. He nips at Ian's neck as he unzips his pants and starts palming at the vampire's hardening cock. Ian moans at the contact but can tell something isn't right. He extricates himself from Mickey without having to use much of his vampiric strength.

"Mickey, not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing?"

Still, Mickey says nothing and forces himself to look anywhere but at Ian's green eyes.

"Mickey…" Ian pries further.

"I got fucking fired today!" Mickey says abruptly. "My first fuckin' day on the job and I got fired!"

"Sorry."

"Yeah, well you should be because it's all your fuckin' fault!"

Ian furrows his brows in confusion.

"My asshole boss Jorge saw the marks on my neck," Mickey clarifies. "Said he doesn't employ 'vampire fuckers'."

"And your first thought was to come back here and fuck me again?" Ian asks suspiciously.

"No! I mean, not no… just, fuck!"

Mickey groans in frustration. He wants to tell Ian he doesn't give a shit that Ian's a vampire. He wants to tell Ian he doesn't give a shit about the marks on his neck. He wants to tell Ian it terrifies Mickey that he doesn't care about these things, because he _should_, and he just doesn't. But Mickey doesn't know how to say any of that.

"Are you gonna tell me what's wrong?" Ian asks at length.

"Not everybody just gets to blurt out how they fuckin' feel every minute."

Ian seems to accept this answer because he's looking sympathetically at Mickey now. "I can heal them if you want."

"The fuck are you talking about?"

"The wounds on your neck. Vampire blood can heals wounds. You wouldn't have to drink it or anything, just let me rub a few drops-"

"No!" Mickey interrupts.

"If it helps you get your job back though…"

"Nah, I'll just work some place else."

And then Ian is beaming that megawatt smile of his.

"Why are you always giving me these looks, Gallagher?" Mickey asks suddenly.

"What looks?"

"Well, right now you're giving me a look like you're on cloud fucking nine."

"Maybe I am," Ian answers with a shrug and pulls Mickey closer to himself by his waist.

Mickey rolls his eyes but lets Ian bring him into a sublime kiss.

When Ian pulls away, his smile turns playful. "Stay for dinner?"

"Since when do you have food?"

"Since tonight," Ian answers, opening the fridge to reveal it freshly stocked with groceries.

"Such a fuckin'-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Ian cuts in. "I'm such a fuckin' boy scout."

Mickey tries not to smile but it's honestly pretty useless. "I can't. I haven't seen my brothers or Mandy all day. I should probably stay home tonight."

And then Ian actually fucking pouts.

"There's another one of your fucking looks," Mickey responds. "I'll stay over tomorrow."

"You better," Ian replies, kissing Mickey again.

Mickey withdraws his lips from Ian. He doesn't say goodbye as he turns to leave.

"Nice shirt by the way, and thanks for washing my sheets," Ian calls out just as Mickey reaches the front door.

Mickey flips him off and heads home.

* * *

><p>"And where have <em>you<em> been all day, dear brother of mine?" Mandy asks, coming into the living room.

"Work," Mickey answers simply. He brushes past his sister to the fridge and reaches for a beer.

Mandy follows her brother. "Did you see-" Mandy cuts herself off when she notices the bite marks on Mickey's neck. "Oh my god, you _did_! And you let him bite you _too_?"

"We're not talking about this."

"You little fangbanging _slut_! I'm so proud!"

"Don't call me that."

"Well, if you prefer whore…"

"Fuck you, you know what I mean. A fangbanger, don't fucking call me that!"

"Jesus, calm down." Mandy senses her brothers distress and presses him further. "Everything ok?"

"No, fuckin' Jorge fired me!"

"What, why?"

"Why do you think?" Mickey asks, waving a hand at his neck.

"Ah, shit. Sorry, Mick."

Mickey and Mandy are interrupted by the front door opening, their older brothers walking in.

"Fuck…" Mickey swears under his breath.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Colin asks as he joins their siblings in the kitchen, grabbing beers for him and Iggy. Much like everyone else has been doing today, Colin's eyes dart to Mickey's neck. "Ah, fuck! I lost the bet!"

Mandy glares daggers at her brother, and Colin retreats to the living room.

"You _fucked_ him?" Iggy asks, equally concerned and angry as he takes the beer Colin hands him.

Mickey scrunches his brows. "What?"

"Nothing!" Mandy interjects, trying to flee from Mickey's growing bewilderment. "It's nothing."

"Hold up!" Mickey yells, following his siblings to the living room. "You all placed bets on when Ian and me would supposedly fuck but you were all giving me shit for being around him anyways?"

Mickey's sibling turned to look at each other, avoiding Mickey's death glare.

"Man, fuck all of you!" Mickey shouts, and then abruptly turns around and heads to his bedroom. He slams the door shut.

"Shit, I think he's really pissed," Colin states.

"Well, _Iggy's_ the one who nearly had an aneurysm the other day."

"Fuck off," Iggy swears at his sister. "I was just trying to look out for him."

"Hey, go see if he's alright," Colin says, shoving at his sister's knee.

Mandy huffs. "Why do _I_ always have to be the one to go?"

"Because," Colin reasons, "you and Mickey are the youngest. You might as well be twins."

Mandy rolls her eyes but concedes. "Fine…"

"Hey," Iggy calls out to her.

"What?" Mandy asks as she turns around.

"Tell him we're sorry. Tell him _I'm_ sorry, or whatever."

"Fuck you, tell him yourself," Mandy dismisses.

Iggy shoots her a one finger salute before she heads to Mickey's bedroom.

Mandy knocks on Mickey's door tentatively. "Mick?" She turns the door knob and pushes the door open. Mandy sees her brother standing in front of a small mirror on his wall. "Mickey?"

Mickey hadn't heard Mandy knock or call for him at first. He was entranced by the bite left on his neck, running his fingers over it. When he notices Mandy coming in his room, Mickey jumps a little and tries to act casual. "Fuck, what do you want?"

"Are you really that pissed?" Mandy asks, sitting down at the edge of Mickey's bed.

Mickey joins her. "You're all still assholes, but nah. I'm not really that pissed."

"Good."

They sit in a comfortable silence for a while. Mickey is still replaying the previous night in his head and all the events that led up to it. Mandy is watching her brother, she notices he's thinking hard on something. She waits for him to talk though. She knows her brother. She knows when Mickey wants to say something, he will, you just have to be patient. Finally, Mickey speaks up.

"I think I might really like him, Mands…"

"Well, that's good, isn't it?"

"I don't know…" Mickey mulls the thought over. "It's kinda pretty fucking terrifying."

Mandy chuckles softly. "Yeah…"

"What, that's it? That's all you got for me, just 'yeah'?"

"What do you want me to say, Mickey? That if you just _believe_, it'll all be ok. That it'll be easy? That stuff's bullshit and you know that better than anyone," Mandy pauses to rest her head on Mickey's shoulder. "But, if you really like Ian, and he really likes you, don't you think it's worth it to find out? To just throw logic out the window and say 'Fuck it'."

Mickey doesn't answer. There's too many questions and uncertainties flying inside his head. Still, there's at least one thing he's sure of - he wants to continue seeing Ian.

Mandy eventually realizes Mickey isn't going to respond to her, so she tries to lighten the mood. "So, what's it like doing it with a vampire?"

"Alright, get out," Mickey says, pushing her off himself.

"Aw, c'mon Mickey!" Mandy whines. "What's the point of having a gay brother if we can't talk about dicks, especially vampire dicks?"

"I am _not_ talking about dicks with you, vampire or otherwise," he replies, shoving his sister out of his bedroom. He shuts the door once she's on the other side of the threshold.

Mickey sighs heavily and runs a hand through his hair. His days and nights feel like they've been chockfull of havoc recently. He flops onto his bed and tries to get some sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong> Hep D, or Hepatitis D, is a strain of the Hepatitis virus. It's harmless to humans, but weakens vampires if they drink the blood of an infected human. Hep D is not fatal, but it does weaken vampires greatly for several months which puts them in danger of being harmed or killed. Hep V is a fatal strain of Hep D that continues to weaken a vampire until the virus induces the true death. Since this story takes place around the first seasons of True Blood and Hep V wasn't created until S6, Hep V isn't going to be a problem for Ian or Nika. :)

Don't think I cleared this up, and don't think I need to but in case I do, the word _Fangbanger_ is a derogatory term for someone who has sex with a vampire.


	6. A Deadly Return

**Chapter 6: A Deadly Return**

* * *

><p>"Wake up, shithead!"<p>

Mickey was woken up by his sister smacking him on the forehead. "What the fuck!"

"C'mon, you got work."

"What…?" Mickey said drowsily as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "No, I don't. I got fired, remember?"

"I just got off the phone with my boss Allen," Mandy informs. "Said you could start today."

"There is no fucking way I'm taking orders at that place!"

"No, you're not. You're gonna be on dishwashing duty mostly, and garbage disposal, stuff like that."

"I'm supposed to _clean_ after people?"

"It's not like you have to work there for the rest of your life."

"I'd rather blow my fucking brains out…" Mickey grumbles.

"_But_, you do need a job, and this is as good as any. So, get up, get dressed, and hurry the fuck up. Don't wanna be late," Mandy says, throwing some semi-clean clothes at her brother before leaving his room.

Mickey groans through his annoyance. Mandy is right. He can't afford to be picky about jobs right now. So, Mickey reluctantly gets out of bed, and gets ready for another first day at work - with his sister. If a merciful god exists, he'd take Mickey's soul now.

* * *

><p>"The fuck is she doing here?" Mickey asks when he and Mandy arrive outside the diner.<p>

"I need job too," Svetlana answers, pursing her lips at Mickey.

"And we need the help," Mandy adds. "Seems everyone's sick or something. I haven't heard from Kelly in ages, and another one of the girls, Stacy, she hasn't been to work in a few days either."

"You sure they are sick?" Svetlana asks.

"What do you mean?"

"Two girls are missing. You do not think that is odd?" In her line of work, Svetlana knows that when girls start disappearing it's never a good sign.

"Don't be so grim. They're just… well, where else would they be?"

"She might have a point, Mands," Mickey says warily.

"Maybe we should tell Ian about it tonight."

"And Nika," Svetlana says.

Mandy and Mickey nod an ok.

The trio head into the diner to begin the day. Mandy introduces her brother and Svetlana to Allen. He's nice, _too_ nice. Neither Mickey nor Svetlana know how to act around genuinely kind people, so they nod courteously when it's appropriate and only speak unless it's absolutely necessary. Mandy shakes her head in amusement at the two of them. It's like Mickey and Svetlana are two sides of the same coin. Mandy shows them to the lockers and proceeds to train them. There's not a whole lot to it. Mickey knows how to clean, he just doesn't like to, and Svetlana picks up waiting tables rather quickly.

Afternoon rolls around, and the diner is surprisingly busy. With a short staff, Allen has to take on waiting some tables as well. Currently, he's taking an order from an elderly couple out on a date for their anniversary.

"What can I get you?" Allen asks.

"Well, we were going to order the pineapple pie," he man states.

"Yes, it's our favorite," his wife adds.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but you don't want that. That pie's been sitting there for over a week, I have to admit."

"That's too bad, cherry then?"

"Ok, coming right up." Allen walks over to the dessert display for the pie as Svetlana sticks a new order on the revolving rack. "Svetlana, could you throw the pineapple pie out? It's been here forever, it's definitely not good anymore."

"Alright," Svetlana answers simply with a single nod. She takes the tray of pie as Allen hands it to her and goes into the kitchen to dispose of it. The pie is definitely starting to go bad, and Svetlana has to hold her breath a bit.

"What are you doing?" Mickey asks with a vexed tone.

Svetlana dumps the pie unceremoniously into the trash.

"That shit reeks."

"That is why Allen said to throw it away."

"If that stays here, it's gonna stink up the whole kitchen."

"So take out trash."

Mickey raises an eyebrow at Svetlana. She's got guts to think she can order Mickey around like that.

Svetlana rolls her eyes at Mickey's dramatics and starts tying off the garbage bag.

"Alright, alright," Mickey says, walking towards Svetlana from the sink. "It's almost full anyways. Hold the door open so I can carry it out."

She does. The two work well together when they want.

"Open the dumpster," Mickey says once they're outside.

Svetlana is unprepared for what she finds when she opens the lid. "Oh my god…"

"What?" Mickey asks, letting the garbage bag fall to the ground to peer at what Svetlana is gaping at. "Holy fuck!"

Inside the dumpster are two dead girls.

There is no blood on them, and their skin looks completely drained of color - drained of life. They have pairs of puncture wounds on their necks and wrists. They're from a vampire no doubt. A vampire, or vampires, did this.

Mickey and Svetlana are shocked into silence. The back door swings open, snapping them out of their daze.

"What are you two doing out here?"

"Mandy, get the fuck back!" Mickey shouts.

"Why?"

"Just stay back, dammit!" Mickey repeats, holding his sister back by her shoulders. "Go back inside and tell Allen to get out here."

"Mickey, what the fuck is going on?"

Svetlana's already on her phone with the police. She can only get a few words out at a time before she's swearing in Russian.

"There's a couple of girls in the dumpster… dead."

Mandy's eyes go wide with terror. "Kelly and Stacy?"

"Probably."

"Let me see, I have to see!" Mandy yells, trying to shove past her brother.

Mickey tightens his hold on his sister and even manages to push her back a few steps further. "Go back inside and get Allen."

Mandy turns away in defeat, fear and anger attempting to take over. She disappears for a moment and reemerges with their boss.

Allen takes in the scene cautiously and walks up to Mickey. "Mandy says… she says…"

"They're in there," Mickey indicates, nodding towards the dumpster.

Allen approaches the bin slowly. When he's close enough to see who's inside, his breath catches in his throat. He shudders as he exhales and runs a hand over his face, then turns back to Mandy.

"It's them."

* * *

><p>The police arrive fairly quickly. Allen closed the diner and dismissed the other employees. The less of a crowd there is the better.<p>

There are two police officers, Jameson and Cortez, who are first on the scene. They don't waste any time and are soon questioning everyone as more police arrive.

Mickey fucking hates cops. It's not because he served his first stint in juvie when he was only thirteen for going on a small drug run for Terry. His dad would've done it himself, but he'd just gotten out of prison. Terry couldn't take that risk. That was his excuse anyway. Mickey was certain now that Terry had never been as fearless as he led everyone to believe. So he got a barely teenage Mickey to go on the run for him. Not that Mickey had much choice. If he refused, Terry would have beat him into a pulp. Turns out the cops were already waiting at the rendezvous spot, and that's where they got a hold of Mickey. And Mickey hated them. Not necessarily because they caught him, he was more angry at himself for that, but for the way they treated him. No one over gave a shit about helping out the ghetto kids, and no one ever gave a shit about Terry Milkovich's ghetto kids. Just because they were cops, and just because Mickey was unfortunate to be poor _and_ have Terry as his father, didn't mean they had the right to treat him like he was trash - like he'd never amount to anything.

And now the blonde one, the woman, Jameson, she's giving Mickey the fucking stink eye in between asking Svetlana questions. She's probably not even paying attention to whatever Svetlana is saying. Mickey scowls back until she returns her attention to Ian's friend.

Yeah, Mickey fucking hates cops.

He's leaning against the wall of the building opposite of the diner and lights up a cigarette. He closes his eyes. Mickey takes a long drag, the hit of nicotine slowly calming him down. When he opens his eyes again, the swirl of red and blue lights give him a headache. He closes his eyes once more. Mickey almost instantly thinks of Ian. He wishes it was nightfall already. He needs to see Ian. Mickey's not sure Ian, or anyone else for that matter, can help him out of whatever this is, but Mickey needs to see him. He just feels… _safer_ around Ian. He feels calmer.

Mickey jumps unexpectedly when he opens his eyes again. "Jesus, the fuck are you sneaking up on people for?" he asks the middle aged man standing in front of him. He's got dark skin, a bald head, and a fancy trench coat on.

"Sorry about that… Mr. Milkovich?"

"It's Mickey."

The man nods. "I'm Detective Desmond Dupree," he says, showing his badge.

"That certainly rolls off the tongue doesn't it, Detective?" Mickey says with a snort.

Detective Dupree ignores Mickey's mocking tone and continues. "I'll be the lead investigator on this case."

"What's to investigate?" Mickey asks. "Girls got killed by a fanger. "

"There have been multiple vampire related killings all over town. This cannot go ignored."

"And what do you plan to do about it, catch the vamps? Lock 'em up and throw away the key? Like you _could_." Mickey flicks his cigarette on the ground and crushes it with his heel. Mickey has no interest, and even less patience, in being questioned again. He starts to walk away.

"I wasn't finished," Detective Dupree says, blocking Mickey's path.

"I already talked to your other officers."

"And now you're talking with me," the detective says simply. "So why don't you tell me what happened when you found the victims?"

Mickey huffs out his anger, and goes through the process of explaining once more.

When he's done, Mickey releases another exasperated sigh. "There, I told you everything I know. Can I fucking go now, please?"

Detective Dupree hands Mickey a card with his contact information on it. "Be sure to call if there's anything else you care to share."

"Yeah, whatever," Mickey replies curtly, nearly snatching the card. He only takes it because he knows he has to.

The coroner is now taking the dead waitresses out of the dumpster. Mickey's seen a lot of shit in his life, but never a dead body, let alone two. He has to look away before he gags.

He walks back inside the diner where he finds Mandy, Svetlana, and Allen. They're all visibly shocked and exhausted.

"You guys should go home," Allen advises.

"You sure?" Mandy asks.

"Yeah, it's fine. Think we should stay closed for a couple days."

_There goes another job_, Mickey thinks. It's only for a while though, so he doesn't say anything. Mickey offers to take Svetlana home. She actually smiles at him, genuinely appreciative of the offer, but she declines. There will still be light out when Svetlana gets home. She reassures him she'll be fine. He nods, and Svetlana takes her leave from the Milkovich brother and sister.

Mickey turns to Mandy. "Let's go home."

"Yeah…"

* * *

><p>On the way home, Mickey and Mandy are mostly quiet. When they get off the bus stop closest to their house, Mickey breaks their silence.<p>

"I'd ask if you're ok, but that's always a shitty thing to ask when two of you're friends get killed by a vamp."

Mandy quirks a rueful smile. "They weren't my friends. I mean, they weren't _not_ my friends but…" Mandy trails off. "This day was really fucked."

"Can't argue there."

"Our whole lives have been fucked."

"Things are better now."

"With dead bodies falling all around us? I don't think so."

"Hey," Mickey says, stopping at the gate to their house, "we're gonna figure this shit out, Mands. We're Milkoviches, and maybe that didn't mean anything before Terry left, but things are different now - we're different. You, me, Colin, Iggy - we're in this together."

Mandy smiles again, this time big and warm like their mother. "Thanks, big brother."

"You got it, little sister." Mickey smiles back at her and swings an arm over her shoulder, tugging her up the front steps and into their house.

"What the hell's all this?" Mandy asks when they step inside.

Colin is at the back of the house putting in another load of laundry in what looks like a new washing machine. Iggy is in the living room separating the clothes they've washed so far into separate piles, but not actually folding them.

"We got a new washing machine," Colin calls out.

"Who'd you steal it from?"

"No one," Iggy clarifies. "We just got home when some delivery guy shows up and says somebody ordered it for us, fully paid for and everything."

"And you didn't think to ask who?" Mickey asks.

"He didn't know."

"And the washer had this weird note inside," Colin adds, coming into the living room. He digs for it in his pockets and presents it to Mickey.

Mickey reads it over. "Well, that's cryptic."

"Think this has anything to do with what happened at the diner today?" Mandy asks her brother.

"What happened at the diner?" Iggy inquires.

"We found two of the supposedly sick waitresses dead in a dumpster. Drained by vamps."

"Jesus, the hell is goin' on in this town?"

"That's what we're gonna try to find out tonight," Mickey informs.

"What's happening tonight?" Colin interrupts.

"Meeting up at Ian's place with Svetlana and her girlfriend."

* * *

><p>Ian is woken up half an hour earlier than he should by his phone ringing. It's Nika. She's far older than Ian so she doesn't require as much sleep. Still, it's uncommon for vampires to wake before nightfall, what with the sun still being out and all. Nika wouldn't have woken up earlier unless it was important. He answers the phone.<p>

"_Are you awake?_"

"I am now," Ian groans. "What's up, there's still twenty minutes to sundown."

"_Sveta and I are on our way._"

Ian sits up sharply. "What, now? How?"

"_Too many layers of clothing, and I ride in trunk._"

Ian would have laughed if his sister wasn't risking her life. "Nika, that's dangerous!"

"_This cannot wait._"

"What the hell is so important you're risking meeting the sun?!"

"_Girls at Svetlana's new job were found dead today. Both had vampire bites._"

"That's where Mandy works…" Ian murmurs.

"_And you're human, Mickey._"

"What, are they all ok?"

"_Yes. We are all meeting at your house._"

"Yeah, alright. See you when you get here."

Ian hangs up. He looks around his basement room angry and confused. His eyes land on a framed picture on the dresser next to his bed. It's of him and Fiona. She's got her arms wrapped around him, and they're both grinning wide. Lip took the picture, which is why he's not in it. Ian remembers this because it was the day Debbie was born. That's why they're smiling.

A single tear of blood runs down Ian's pale cheek. He hates crying blood, it's gross.

"What am I gonna do, Fiona? I don't know what's going on." Ian shudders a breath, trying to keep his tears at bay. "Everything is so fucked. It's all my fault. It was my fault you-" Ian stops himself. He can't finish that sentence. "I miss you all so much. I'm sorry." Ian let's himself go for a moment, but refuses to make any noise. He inhales deeply and slowly releases the air from his lungs. He stares at the picture until he's interrupted by the sound of his front door opening.

"Ian!" Svetlana calls out. "Where are you, orange fanger?"

Ian quickly wipes his bloodied tears away and meets Svetlana in the living room. She notices something off with the vampire.

"Were you-"

"I'm fine," Ian cuts her off. "Did you leave Nika in the trunk?! There's still…" Ian looks to the clock on the mantlepiece, "uh, ok only thirty seconds of sunlight left."

"You don't need to worry about me," Nika says, strolling into the house with about five layers of clothing, coats, gloves, sunglasses, and a sunhat.

"What the fuck were you doing going out during the day?"

"I told you, we meet here, no time to waste. Now, I am trying to take jackets off," Nika answers as Svetlana begins to help her.

"There was still light out! You could've…" Ian trails off and massages his temples. "I hope I'm not as reckless when I'm as old as you." The older vampires become, the more invincible they think they are.

"It was only a few minutes," Nika continues as she shucks out of the last coat. She walks to the window and pulls the curtain back. "See, no more sun."

"You still should have waited." Ian spots a familiar car pulling up in front of his house. He rushes to the door but doesn't open it.

"He is like puppy waiting for master to come home," Svetlana says to her girlfriend.

There's a knock at the door and Ian has to force himself not answer immediately. When he finally does, he greets three of the four Milkoviches as they walk past him into the living room until he's left at the door with one - Mickey.

"Hey," Mickey says shyly. It's a bit embarrassing being around Ian with a room full of people who know exactly how he got the bite mark on his neck.

Ian smiles big, his dark thoughts from only minutes ago almost vanishing. His eyes scan Mickey's neck. "Those seem to be healing nicely."

"Maybe you could bite me again," Mickey deadpans. Of course Mickey would be the kind of guy to go from zero to sixty-five in a heartbeat.

"Stop being a tease, that's my job."

"Oh, excuse me," Mickey replies playfully, joining the others.

Iggy and Colin take the two armchairs at the front of the living room. Mickey, Mandy, Svetlana and Nika take the couch, with Mandy and Svetlana in the middle. And Ian takes the armchair across from Mickey's brothers.

"Alright," Ian begins, addressing everyone in the room, "who wants to start?"

Mickey, Mandy, and Svetlana recount what happened at the diner earlier that day. When Svetlana speaks about how she was the first to find the girls, Nika leans closer to her on the couch, taking Svetlana's trembling hand into her own and interlocking their fingers. She runs gentle circles on the back of her girlfriend's hand with her thumb until Svetlana finishes talking.

The first question Ian asks is a surprise even to himself as he blurts it out. "Are you two blood bonded?"

Both Nika and Svetlana look up at Ian in a _what does that have to do with anything_ stare.

"What? Sorry, I just haven't had the chance to ask since I've been back. And you're all…" Ian waves a hand at their intertwined fingers.

"Yes," Svetlana states.

"What the hell's a blood bond?" Colin asks.

"The bond between vampire and human," she answers.

"Wait, are we-"

"No," Ian interrupts Mickey. "In order for that to happen you'd have to drink my blood."

"She drank your blood?" Iggy asks Nika in shock before turning to Svetlana. "You drank her blood? How are you not a vampire then?"

"It doesn't work like that," Ian answers.

"Hold up," Mickey jumps in again, "I don't get it. What's the point of that?"

"Is it a big deal?" Mandy asks.

"It's a _very_ big deal," Ian says, glaring back at his vampire sister and her girlfriend. "Once a human drinks vampire blood, that vampire will be able to sense _every_ emotion of the human that drank their blood as well as determine their exact location at all times. And well, there's also some pretty intense sexual side effects. The bond wears off the longer it's been since the human drinks the vampire's blood, but still..."

"Sexual side effects?" Mickey asks with intrigue in his voice but also concern.

"Increased libido, some super vivid and detailed sex dreams of the vampire you drank from."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Mandy remarks.

"You do not know what you are saying," Svetlana replies. "Imagine waking up in sweat soaked clothes and short breath because the dream you had felt so real. So real that when you wake up you think you are still dreaming, and you are shaking all over. Like seizure, or like you are dying. _That_ is what it feels like."

"Ok…" Iggy says, eyebrows raised almost to his hairline. "Why would anyone put themselves through that?"

"Because they love each other," Ian answers for the couple, now staring at them fondly. "I guess it makes sense that you bonded with Nika after I left." The bit of jealousy Ian feels dissipates. He had missed Svetlana when he left for California, and the bond they once shared.

"You _two_ had a blood bond?" Mickey asks, pointing between Svetlana and Ian.

Svetlana makes a retching noise in the back of her throat. "Do not remind me. The dreams were the worst part!"

"Hey!" Ian says, mildly offended.

"They were! How would you like to have dreams about fucking girls?"

"Sorry," Ian offers weakly.

"Shit, man," Colin interjects, "that blood bond thing sounds like hell."

"It can be. The choice for a vampire and human to commit to a blood bond isn't a decision to be taken lightly." Ian feels himself being compelled to look at Mickey, who meets Ian's green eyes with blue. "It's also one of the most important decisions the two can ever make."

There's an atmospheric shift in the room. Neither Ian nor Mickey break their eye contact.

Colin tries to lighten the mood. "Awkward…"

"Idiot," Iggy retorts, and kicks his brother's shoe.

Mandy digs her elbow into Mickey's side, effectively knocking him out of his trance.

"Ow! The fuck was that for?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?"

"The washer? The note?"

This grabs Ian's attention immediately. "Washer, note?"

"When me and Colin got home there was a guy who came by with a new washer for us," Iggy explains.

Nika exchanges a frantic look with Ian. "You do not think…?"

Ian looks back at the Milkovich siblings. "Do you have the note?"

"Yeah," Mickey answers and reaches for it in his pockets.

Ian swiftly gets up from his chair and walks over to Mickey, quickly taking the folded piece of paper from his hand. As he reads it, sheer dread spreads across his face.

_Consider it a gift. From a friend of a friend.  
>- JJ/S_

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong> That wraps up another chapter. Thanks for reading. :)


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